A Heart Bigger Than This Nation

By Monica Kleyman

Stephen Cribben

January 27, 1984-November 4, 2017

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Stephen Cribben was born on January 27, 1984 in Rawlins, Wyoming to parents Leslie and Joe Cribben. He had a sister named Whitney.[1] Stephen’s parents moved around the country, first moving to Kansas and then Simi Valley, California. Growing up, Stephen was a gentle soul and developed a good sense of what was right and wrong. He was competitive, compassionate, and strived to help others.[2] Stephen had graduated from Royal High School in Simi Valley, California, where his track and cross-country coach had described him as “a friendly and hardworking student determined to reach his goals.”[3]

Stephen came from a military family where both of his grandfathers had served. His paternal grandfather had served in the Navy/Coast Guard for twenty-two years. His maternal grandfather had been in the Army Air Corps during WWII and served with the Flying Tigers in Burma.[4] Stephen’s maternal grandfather had been a Miniconjou Sioux who had served for the United States in the Pacific Theater of World War II. His grandfather was blue/green color blind, allowing him to be an asset, since he could spot Japanese camouflage and help with bomb placement. Stephen decided to join the United States Army for many reasons. He had been inspired by the events of 9/11, he joined partly because he was inspired by his grandparents, he didn’t feel like he was ready for college, and he felt that he had a calling as a patriot to serve.[5]

In November 2002, Stephen joined the army as a private and he would make it to the elite Army Green Berets as sergeant first class.[6] He began his career in the Military Police and he kept going up in rank during the span of his 15-year career in the military. The Military Police is one of the newest branches in the military and was created in 1941. Military Police uphold the law while protecting forces both at home and abroad.[7] Stephen was trained for a variety of duties during his military career. He was trained as an emergency medical technician, in air assault, in survival and evasion, in Special Forces advanced combat, and in special operations.[8] He was deployed to many countries, in combative and non-combat areas. His first deployment had been to Korea, which was hard for him since he had been so young. When Stephen went to Korea, it had been his first time outside of the United States. Even during a deployment that was so far away from his family, Stephen had a sense of humor, while showing traits of a warrior. He had spent time on the demilitarized zone in Korea and showed characteristics of a leader at a young age.[9]

In 2005, Stephen had been part of Operation Bright Star, a special training operation conducted in Egypt. Stephen had been with the 101st Airborne, 561st MP Company, part of the 716th MP Battalion out of Fort Campbell during the operation. He took part in Protection Service Detail, which had a mission of protecting lieutenant generals and generals who were higher in rank.[10]

Stephen married his high school sweetheart Shelly in 2008, who he had met at a church group when he was only 15. Shelly later joined him during his deployment in Germany.[11] Shelly and Stephen welcomed their first son in Germany where he was working in the Military Police. He had been working in Baumholder, Germany, where he worked three to four-day weeks. With this schedule, Stephen was able to travel around Europe on the weekends and he fell in love with Bruges, Belgium, declaring that he would love to retire there. He also visited his ancestral home of Ireland while stationed in Germany.[12]

Stephen was also deployed to combat zones. The United States have been at war in Afghanistan since 2001. The United States decided to send in troops to defeat the terrorist group known as the Taliban. The Taliban had consolidated power in the country after the Afghani Civil War. After the consequences of 9/11, forces were sent in hopes of finding Osama bin Laden and those who had been responsible for the terrorist attacks on 9/11.[13]

Stephen had been deployed to Afghanistan for the first time in 2006. This earlier deployment to Afghanistan had been in a large area of operation. It had been difficult for Stephen to be deployed during the holidays, especially when he was deployed inside of a war zone.[14] Christmas was Stephen’s favorite holiday. One Christmas, he requested Santa hats for himself and for three buddies to go over their Kevlar helmets. He then always took his Santa hat with him on deployments, in hopes of bringing cheer to others who were deployed during the holidays.[15] Stephen also spent time in Afghanistan working on humanitarian aid. He had given out clothing and food to civilians from care packages that he himself had received.[16]

Stephen had been deployed to Iraq in 2007. President Bush had invaded in 2003. In 2003, the country had been ruled by Saddam Hussein and harbored the terrorist group known as Al-Qaeda. While the country had been conquered by the Americans and other allied troops as early as 2003, this did not necessarily mean a democracy had been put into place. By 2006, Baghdad was known as the green zone, but everything outside had little security. Iraqis were angry at the lack of security and employment in the country, leading to resistance to the American occupation. This developed a new generation of jihadist who were inspired by the anger of losing their country to occupying forces.[17]

Stephen’s deployment to Iraq had been extremely difficult. He dealt with the stress of combat life, while dealing with the loss of two of his grandparents. Stephen had become very close with his Military Police detachment in Iraq. He had lost friends from combat and was facing the enemy on a daily basis. Stephen was awarded the Bronze Star Medal during his time in Iraq, in August 2008. This had been awarded to Stephen when he was carrying ammo and supplies to troops when they had been pinned down.[18]

While Stephen was in Iraq, he constantly told his Command Sergeant Major that he wanted to join the Special Forces. He liked the idea of a small independent group and he wanted to become specialized in a specific set of skills in a unit. Stephen became driven and he wanted to become a better leader.[19] In 2014, Stephen joined the Green Berets after passing Special Forces qualifications.[20] He was then assigned to the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group in Fort Carson, Colorado.[21]

The Silver Star Medal [30]

Stephen was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Green Berets in the fall of 2017.[22] Stephen’s mission was to train local forces in Afghanistan, while helping to fight against terrorist threats in the area. His team included a group from the Special Forces team, with a team from the Afghan military.[23] Stephen was killed on November 4th, 2017 in the Logar Province in Afghanistan. He had died at the age of 33 and had spent almost all of his adult life in the United States military. He died from wounds sustained in combat and the incident was originally under investigation.[24] Stephen had died protecting his team who were leaving an objective that had been under heavy fire. Stephen took actions to protect his time by ordering his driver to move to find safety for the members of the team who had been exposed to the enemy’s fire. Stephen had originally been awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his heroism but was awarded the Silver Star Medal as an upgrade after the investigation had been completed. Stephen also earned a Purple Heart for the injuries he had sustained during combat. He was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for his role in combat in Afghanistan in 2017 as well. He was also awarded a Sergeant Audie Murphy Award for special merit recognition for the actions he took in Afghanistan, while also earning a Combat Infantry Badge for his role in direct combat action as well.[25]

Stephen was killed protecting his country. He was a family man, who had been extremely driven and dedicated. He had been selfless, as he died so others could live even in a war zone. He had loved his country, his family, and his team. His wife and kids were the center of his world and he loved coming home to do things for them.[26] He also enjoyed surprising his family, by showing up unannounced and liked to pull pranks on his Commanding Sergeant Major. Stephen’s legacy will live on with his two little boys, Wyatt and Connor. He taught them strength, courage, and ethics; he will never be forgotten by them.[27] Stephen was only eighteen when he joined the U.S. Army, but he made it to the elites and had served in three different administrations. Stephen had been a true patriot who loved his country and he gave the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. Leslie Cribben said that Stephen’s “Heart was bigger than this nation he served, and he was so devoted to taking care of it.”[28] The war rages on in Afghanistan as Taliban attacks have only increased in 2018, but Stephen will never be forgotten.[29]

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Footnotes ↓

[1] Melissa Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[2] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[3] Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[4] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP. The Flying Tigers of Burma had been part of an American Volunteer Group of fighter pilots who were stationed in Burma and in southeast China. They had been successful in shooting down Japanese planes even though they had been outnumbered by the Japanese.

[5] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[6] Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[7] “History of the Regiment.” The United States Army | Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, www.wood.army.mil/usamps/Organizations/DPO/History of the Regiment.htm (accessed on February 15, 2020).

[8] Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[9] Joe Cribben, Interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[10] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[11] Christian Martinez, Gretchen Wenner, and Mike Harris, "Mom of Simi Soldier Killed in Afghanistan: 'This Is What He Knew He Was Called to Do'," Ventura County Star, November 7, 2017.

[12] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[13] “A Timeline of the U.S. War in Afghanistan.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan (accessed on February 15, 2020).

[14] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[15] Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[16] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[17] William L. Cleveland and Martin P. Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, (Boulder: Westview Press, 2017).

[18] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[19] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[20] Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[21] Martinez, Wenner and Harris, "Mom of Simi Soldier Killed in Afghanistan: 'This Is What He Knew He Was Called to Do'," Ventura County Star. November 7, 2017.

[22] Report, Staff, "Pentagon Identifies Green Beret Killed in Afghanistan," Army Times, November 5, 2017.

[23] Joe Cribben, Interview by Monica Kleyman, July 25, 2018, DU VLP.

[24] Report, Staff, "Pentagon Identifies Green Beret Killed in Afghanistan," Army Times, November 5, 2017.

[25] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[26] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[27] Joe Cribben, interview by Monica Kleyman, July 16, 2018, DU VLP.

[28] Simon, "Highly Decorated Soldier Killed in Action," Simi Valley Acorn, November 10, 2017.

[29] “A Timeline of the U.S. War in Afghanistan.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan (accessed February 15, 2020).

[30] The Silver Star, Naval History and Heritage Command, Retrieved from: https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/awards/decorations/silver-star.html.

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