In early November, 2004, Pfc. Christopher Adlesperger held a Bible reading for some of the other Marines in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, Fifth Marines. The Second Battle of Fallujah had just kicked off, and 3/5 was preparing to clear one of the city's most volatile sectors, the Jolan neighborhood. Adlesperger was well aware of the dangers that lay ahead. In the days leading up to the start of the operation, he had asked friends and family back home to pray for him and his fellow Marines.

On Nov. 10, the day Kilo Company's part in Operation Phantom Fury began, Adlesperger proved to be one of the unit's most lethal assets, distinguishing himself as a fearless and determined warrior during a brutal firefight that lasted 30 minutes and was waged at extremely close range. The 20-year-old Albuquerque native survived that battle, where he earned the nation's second-highest award for valor in combat, but tragically did not make it home from Iraq alive.

“He was one tough bastard,” Col. Patrick Malay, the battalion commander, later recalled.