It's Saturday, May 28, 2005 and Erin is running late for her wedding ceremony. "I forgot his wedding band," she recalls sheepishly of the mad dash that preceded her marriage to Army Cpl. Nathaniel Skorup Baughman in the scenic, lower portion of Monticello's City Park. Erin said her husband once told her his favorite moment they shared was when his bride-to-be arrived in the park on their wedding day, climbing over a hill in her gown to reach him. It didn't matter that she was tardy.
Nate Baughman, 23, was killed Monday, July 17, 2006, in Bayji, Iraq by rocket-propelled grenades as he traveled in convoy with his unit. Assigned to a regiment in the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, he was to have completed this, his last mission in Iraq this week and returned home to his wife and family soon after.
Now, Erin must put away thoughts of her husband's homecoming to Ft. Campbell, Ky. where the couple moved shortly after they married last year, and remember the man who she describes as quiet, conservative and caring.
Both graduates of Twin Lakes High School, the pair met while working at Burger King in Monticello, forming a fast friendship. It was during this time after they first met, about a year and a half before they wed, that Erin says she fell in love. "He was fun to be around; that's Nate. He always tried to get a smile out of people. He was a perfect gentleman. He never let me open the car door for myself. He stood up when I stood up if we were out to dinner. A lot of people knew him a whole lot longer than I did, but in those two and a half years we shared he showed me what love is. And I'm so grateful for that."
An overprotective father, Erin says of Nate, he put family first when it came to Erin's son Jesse, and his son Hunter. The boys, though sharing different parents, have largely grown up together Erin says. "He loved Nate," she says of her son, who would tag along when Nate would work around the house doing jobs like building shelves. He'd also take the boys fishing and enjoyed getting out and doing new things Erin said.
"When he loved people, he loved hard and Nate loved family things; he really wanted to do those things like go to the park and the children's museum with me and the boys. He wasn't one to sit around too much."
Contrasting his reserved disposition, Nate was counted on for the occasional streak of humor that punctuated his loyal and hard-working nature said Erin. "It didn't matter if he was sick or hurt or whatever; he never complained. If anyone needed anything he said he'd do it. He was a strong person."
After leaving for Iraq last September, Nate was home from Dec. 5 through the 21 and spent time relaxing with his family. Erin said she talked with her husband on the phone several times a week while he was away and received more than 300 letters from him. Some missives were more like journal entries, she said, describing the time of day and what he was doing at a particular moment. Others were personal and filled with words to be treasured always. "They all started out 'Hello beautiful," Erin said of the letters. "He told me how much he loved me and he ended them saying 'Love, Nate. Always and forever.'"
Realizing her husband gave his life to serve others is of some comfort, but not enough since Erin learned of the terrible news.
"I was planning a welcome home party for him the night he died. It just shows how quick it can all be over." Erin says Nate was "proud of what he was doing. He wasn't afraid, but he loved his family and all he talked about was coming home to give me the biggest hug." Regardless of military involvement, "Nate lived life like it was his last day," she said.
Erin's reason for speaking about her husband is simply to share with others a portrait of the man she married, that of a loving father, dedicated husband and dutiful American soldier. "He would always say someday we'd be an old couple sitting on our porch holding hands. I think that we really could've been," she said.
Pastor Ernie Elder will remember Nathaniel Baughman for many things, including the white roses planted in a prayer garden east of the Eastlawn Church where about 15 parishioners meet every Sunday. The roses were planted because they were Nathaniel’s favorite flower.
Elder said Nathaniel had been active in the church group and described him as a person who attracted others because he had a noble character. Although quiet at times, when his personality opened up, he could be the life of the party and had a smile that could light up a room. "I’m sure this community will never forget him and what he has done for this country," Elder said.
Nate's mother, Jill, described Nate, "He was very kind and had a generous heart. He wanted to be there in Iraq to protect friends and his country. He was dedicated to serving alongside the men and women of the U.S. Army who responded to the call of serving their country. He wanted to do what he was doing in Iraq."
Born Aug. 10, 1982, in South Bend, Nathaniel lived in Knox until age 4, then moved to LaPorte where he lived until the fifth grade. He enrolled in the Twin Lakes schools at the start of his sixth-grade year. He was involved in 4-H poultry projects and won shooting awards. He hunted and fished and ran track for four years at Twin Lakes and played football one year.
He had been employed in heating and air-conditioning work and attended Ivy Tech State College in Indianapolis. He joined the National Guard in Logansport before entering the Army last year. He was a member of the 101 First Airborne Third Brigade Combat Team.
In his addition to his wife, Erin, son Hunter, and stepson, Jess, he is survived by his father and stepmother Andy and Colleen; his mother and stepfather, Jill & Robert, his twin brother, Nicholas, and brothers Ben, Joseph, Mike & Christopher; his paternal grandmother Evelyn and his maternal grandmother Barbara; and his son’s mother, Amanda.
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