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Christopher Hulbert Memorial By Paula Green
Every fourth Monday in May, we celebrate Memorial Day. It is a special day that commemorates those who have perished serving our country. This month, we honor Butler native USAF Captain Christopher Hulbert, who dedicated his life and time to his family, service members, education, and career. In addition, Hulbert was a loving husband and son who took his own life on January 3, 2019.
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uring Hulbert’s time as an Airman, he was deployed to Germany, Africa, Afghanistan (2x), and Kuwait. He received several military awards, including Two Joint Service Commendation medals, an Air Force Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and an Air Force Achievement Medal. In 2018, Hulbert was bestowed with Air Force Captain of the Year honors. Despite his military accolades, Hulbert suffered from Battlefield and Deployment Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Traumatic Brain Injury. Hulbert’s grieving family established the Christopher Hulbert Memorial in honor of his character, service and integrity. “The mission of our non-profit is to raise awareness and supply information to those suffering from deployment trauma, PTSD, TBI, etc., due to their service to our country,” said Mary Ann Hulbert. “We lost Chris because we were unaware of his suffering. Chris was home in California after his last deployment to Kuwait. We assumed that things were progressing well for him. He was an active reservist in the Air Force and employed as a project manager for the number one drone builder, General Atomics, in California. Chris was awarded Captain of the Year and was two months away from promotion to Major in the Air Force,” Mary Ann said. “It is our goal to raise awareness and support within the communities so that other families do not experience the same fate.” The foundation has three events scheduled for this year; one will occur this month. The 1st Annual Christopher Hulbert Memorial 5K Walk/Run will be held at 9:00 a.m., May 21, at Zelienople Community Park, 402 E. Beaver Street. The memorial walk is supported by the American Legion Post in Zelienople. On Saturday, July 23, the 3rd Annual Christopher Hulbert Memorial Golf Outing will be held at Black Hawk Golf Course, 644 Blackhawk Road in Beaver Falls. Finally, a Clay Shoot is scheduled for Saturday, October 15, at Lawrence County Sportsman’s Association in Wampum. Details for this event will be upcoming. To register for the 5K Walk in May or the Golf Outing in July, visit https://www.christopherhulbertmemorial.com/. “Please visit our website to review postings of articles and upcoming events. We ask that you like and share the information to help with our mission,” Mary Ann said. Portions of the proceeds from the three events are used to benefit Stop Soldier Suicide. Northern Connection magazine salutes USAF Captain Christopher Hulbert for his dedication and service to our country. May he rest in peace. n
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