Watts, Christopher Eugene
Male
Verified Petty Officer Second Class Christopher Eugene Watts, 28, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was a U.S. Navy sailor assigned to the USS Firebolt (PC 12). He died in a hostile incident in Iraq on April 24, 2004.
Their Story
Christopher Eugene Watts was a 28-year-old Petty Officer Second Class from Knoxville, Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the coastal patrol ship USS Firebolt (PC 12), homeported in Virginia Beach, Virginia. According to the Department of Defense, he was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On April 24, 2004, Watts was killed in a hostile action in the port city of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. According to U.S. Central Command, the incident involved an explosive ordnance disposal team. The Navy stated that Watts died from injuries sustained in an explosion while conducting security operations.
Watts died during a period of intense and widespread violence in Iraq. The U.S.-led invasion had begun in March 2003, and by April 2004, a major insurgency was underway. U.S. and coalition forces faced attacks from various armed groups across the country, including in the southern regions previously considered more secure.
The Department of Defense announced Watts's death on April 26, 2004. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried in his home state of Tennessee.
Petty Officer Second Class Watts is memorialized on the Navy Memorial and on the Iraq War section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's online registry. He is remembered by family, fellow sailors, and veterans as one of the service members who lost their lives during the conflict.
Explore Further
Petty Officer Christopher Watts was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2010). The conflict concluded in August 2010. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Kennedy, Brian Matthew, Beaupre, Ryan Anthony, Gutierrez, Jose, Waters-bey, Kendall Damon.
