Local soldier killed in Iraq

Raudenbush was killed when a roadside bomb hit the vehicle in which he was traveling, while serving in Iraq.

Nathan Raudenbush, a 2001 Spring-Ford High School graduate, had an uncanny ability to make people smile and laugh.

That ability remained true even as his father, Brian Raudenbush, pushed through tears with laughter, recalling memories of his son whose life was cut short Feb. 20.
"He could make people smile and laugh no matter what the situation was," Brian Raudenbush said. "He was just a special young man."

Army 1st Lt. Nathan Raudenbush, 26, previously of Royersford, was serving with the Bravo Troop of the 3rd Platoon, 6-8 Cavalry Regiment, based out of Fort Stewart, Ga., in Busayefi, Iraq, when the vehicle he was traveling in hit a roadside bomb.

"He was a true hero," Raudenbush said of his son. "It's just a hard thing as a parent; I can't explain to you the pain I'm in. My heart has a hole in it. It just won't be the same."

Brian Raudenbush lives with his wife, Mary, in Earl Township. The two had finished eating dinner last Wednesday night and Raudenbush had just flicked on the television when they got the phone call from their daughter-in-law, Casey, telling them the tragic news about their son.

Raudenbush said he had a special relationship with Nathan. The two did so much together as Nathan grew to be a man.

"As a young boy, I got him involved in Scouting," Raudenbush said. "We did Scouting together all the time, from when he was a little guy until he was 18 years old.

"I loved the outdoors ... so he just liked to be with me. He just really enjoyed the camping and everything we did together," Raudenbush said. "We just loved to be together. He just learned that family is the most important thing."

Raudenbush said his family is very patriotic. He instilled that patriotism in Nathan, which was partly the reason Nathan joined ROTC at Widener University during his freshman year, 2001.

"He went to school in August 2001 and then Sept. 11 hit and that solidified in his mind that he wanted to do something" to serve his country, Raudenbush said.
The ROTC program also enabled the frugal young man, as he was described by his father, to pay for his education at the private university.

The ROTC was where Nathan met Casey, his future wife and mother of his 20-month-old son, Jackson.

"They were just so wonderful and perfect together," Raudenbush said of the union his son and daughter-in-law shared. "She really didn't want anyone else ever other than Nathan."

Dan Raudenbush, Nathan's uncle who resides in Fleetwood, said his nephew's love for family and children was always evident, even before he started his own family.

"We have lots of family picnics," Dan Raudenbush said. "If we were at a family picnic, Nate would be with the little ones playing with them and entertaining them.
"Nathan was always a throwback kind of kid. He was a straight shooter; just a stand-up guy. Just exactly the kind of kid you don't want to lose."

Patrick Nugent, principal of Spring-Ford High School, remembered Nathan as a "nice, friendly young man."

"He always had a smile on his face," Nugent said, adding that he wanted to share the school district's condolences with Nathan's family.

"It means something to everyone in the community and we're very sorry to hear the news," he said. "We have [many students in the district now] but I can still look at his picture and remember him."
Brian Raudenbush said he had just talked to his son Feb. 17. He was in the middle of helping fix up a spare room at his home where Nathan, Casey and baby Jackson could stay when Nathan came home for leave sometime in August. Raudenbush hadn't told his son about the room.

"I told him, 'Yeah, I have this surprise, I'm not going to tell you what it is,'" Raudenbush recalled. He wanted his son to be excited when he got home and came to visit, he explained.

Raudenbush said his family is doing its best to get through the difficult time. He and his wife left for Georgia, where his daughter-in-law and grandson are, immediately after hearing the news of his son's death. He said the laughter and innocence of his grandson are a helpful distraction, and he realizes how much he wants his grandson to know the type of man his father was.

Brian Raudenbush talked about plans he's had to build a tree house at his home where he wanted to play with Nathan and Jackson as Jackson got older.

"We'll still sit in our tree fort and talk about his Pop," Raudenbush said. "We're still going to do all that. And I'm going to try to instill the best I can in him what I instilled in Nathan."

In addition to Nathan's wife, son, mother and father, he is survived by his sister, Jennifer, of Stowe, and a large extended family.

The Nathan R. Memorial Fund, a college fund for his son, Jackson R. Raudenbush, has been established. Contributions to the fund may be mailed to the Nathan R. Raudenbush Memorial Fund, c/o National Penn Bank, 702 Main St., Phoenixville, PA 19460. Contributions may also be dropped off at any local National Penn Bank branch.