[at-l] More info on AirFerret

[shellydhale at earthlink.net (Shelly Hale)]

Thanks for the information on AirFerret, Crystal.  While I never had the
opportunity to meet him, I hate to hear of such a terrible tragedy.  I'll
definitely hoist some vodka in his memory next June 29th.

Shelly Hale
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Crystal Robinson" <crys717@yahoo.com>
To: "AT-L" <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 3:54 PM
Subject: [at-l] More info on AirFerret


> I know Skylander and others wanted to know of any information I received
about AirFerret (Christian) and his death a few weeks ago.  I recently spoke
with AirFerret's friend, Walter, and got a few more details about what
happened, as well as a great overview of his life.  I already knew much of
what he told me, in terms of AirFerret's past, but it was still amazing and
inspiring to hear about it again.
>
> With Walter's permission, I am forwarding his email to the list (it is
copied below).  As soon as I find out the address for the website, I will
pass that on as well.
>
> Crystal (Peak-a-Boo)
>
> *****
>
> Hello to all,
>
>   I am sorry it has taken me a few days to reply to everyone requesting
additional information.  A tremendous amount of activity has been aloft
these last few days, and I have been doing my utmost to keep abreast.
>
>   Several people have asked for details as to the events leading to
Christian's death.  Although the exact events are somewhat unclear, and
Detroit Police Gang Squad is being less then helpful, I will try to sum them
up here with a little background on his life.
>
>   Christian grew up in a rough neighborhood in the southwest part of
Detroit, Mi.  At the age of sixteen, he moved out on his own to a suburb to
break away from the lifestyle he knew would only lead to trouble.  I met him
then, a wild, aggressive kid trying to re-adjust to a different lifestyle in
suburbia, trying to finish up high school and work full time at nights to
support himself.  But also, a passionate, intelligent, driven young man,
determined to beat the odds.  He did, graduating from high school with
honors.  Afterwards, he joined the military, eventually serving with the
U.S. Army Rangers, which both appealed to his sense of adventure and energy,
yet tempured his mind and defined his goals in life.  He was honorably
discharged a decorated soldier.
>
>   Upon leaving the service, Christian worked as a paramedic in Detroit for
several years, finishing up his college degree.  It was during this time he
became became very sick with cancer, yet fought that battle and won.
Afterwards, he moved to Las Vegas, NV, for both employment and personal
reasons.  There he continued his education and decided to take the Medical
College Admissions Test, or MCAT, to apply for medical school.  His scores
placed him in the top three percent of the examinees in the nation.  He was
subsequently accepted to medical school, no suprise to those who knew him.
>
>   An avid outdoorsman, Christian decided to hike the Appalachian Trail
prior to matricuation into medical school.  A knee injury ended the hike
early, but he refused to let it get the best of him.  A few weeks of
personal physical therapy, and he was back outdoors again, this time at a
climbing school teaching basic knot and ropes to beginner climbers.  In May,
he went back out on the trail to hike, and afterwards spent a week
performing volunteer work on a trail crew before returning home.
>
>   Upon returning to Michigan, Christian worked as a volunteer at a
substance abuse clinic.  The patients and staff loved him there.  He had the
ability to get through to the toughest patients.  Everybody was devastated
to learn of his death.
>
>   On June 29th, Christian was visiting friends in Detroit.  He may have
been involved in breaking up a fight between two youths earlier in the day,
a part that remains unclear.  Later that evening, he was sitting on a porch
talking with these two kids, with a few others nearby.  A vehicle came
speeding down the street, and between one to two individuals began shooting
out of the windows from the car.  Witnesses have said that Christian shoved
at least one of the kids off the porch and began running the other way, when
two rounds hit him in the chest and side.  He died while enroute to the
hospital.
> It is unclear whether Christian was the target of the drive-by shooting,
or whether another person nearby may have been.  Because of his prior gang
related activity as a kid, the police are labeling this a gang retaliation.
Most of us find this both ridiculous and inexcusable.  Christian had left
that behind fifteen years prior, and was known in the area as somebody who
worked hard and set an example for others.
>
>   His body was released a few days ago, and he was cremated per
conversations we had years prior.  The flag presented by the local VFW has
been sent to his only close relative, a son in Atlanta, GA.   I held legal
control over his personal affairs and business while he was away, and was
given the control his affairs to handle after his death.  A website is in
development at this time, and I will send out the URL when it is finished.
>
>   A tradition amongst many of our friends will be held on June 29, 2005,
exactly one year from Christian's death.  We will gather in a bar, and
recount stories and events of his life, and toast to him one last time
(Vodka was his favorite drink).  If you would like, leave an entry in his
guest book, or on the website when it is published, and they will be read as
well.  Or, do the same amongst his friends in different cities on that day.
I am sure he will be smiling down on us all, from some great rock wall or
eternal trail in the sky.
>
>   With best regards to all his friends out there,
>   Dr. Walter Anderson
>
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