CRIT member dies in action in Afghanistan
June 13, 2008

Pfc. Ara Tyler Deysie, 18, from Parker, remembered for service to his country

CRIT lost one of its young people in May as a tribal member serving in Afghanistan was killed in action.

Pfc. Ara Tyler Deysie, 18, died on May 9 in a grenade attack in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. A member of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, he was one of several soldiers who lost their lives from the 101st that week in Afghanistan.

Deysie was a Parker resident who enlisted in the military earlier this year. His mother, Lori, told The Associated Press that he had dreamed of being a soldier since he was 4 years old.

Two services were held locally for Deysie, a religious service on May 18 and a military and Indian service on May 19. He was laid to rest at the CRIT Cemetery.

According to the AP report, Lori Deysie characterized her son as a jokester and a handful.

"Once he decided what he wanted to do, he made sure he got his way and got to do it, and that was to go into the military," she told the Associated Press on Mother's Day from her home in Parker.

Deysie signed up for the military in February after continually asking his mother for permission.

"Since he signed up for the military, I've just been sick," Lori Deysie told the Associated Press. "But he did get to do what he wanted to do in his life."

On behalf of CRIT, Tribal Chairman Daniel Eddy, Jr. offered condolences and best wishes to the Deysie family.

“It is with great sadness that the Colorado River Indian Tribes offers its deepest condolences to the Deysie family,” he said.

“Pfc. Deysie clearly served his country proudly and honorably, and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country and preserve our freedom. CRIT members have a proud history of service to America, and Pfc. Deysie is another in a long line of soldiers we all admire. Our community mourns the loss of Tyler Deysie and offers its heartfelt best wishes to his family.”

Deysie’s MySpace page was flooded with tributes after news of his passing was published in The Arizona Republic and other media outlets. More than 100 people left comments and condolences on a tribute page on the paper’s web site for Deysie.