STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Soldiers who served with Eric O’Hara in Iraq recalled him Friday as an exemplary colleague who typically rose above and beyond the call of duty.
“He was definitely one of those guys you could always go to if you needed something done,” Chris Barber said. “He needed little or no supervision.”
O’Hara, 24, died Thursday in Steamboat Springs when he fell from a six-story hotel rooftop, where he was shoveling snow.
A 2002 graduate of Steamboat Springs High School, O’Hara served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq.
“He was the epitome of paratroopers,” said Sgt. Robert Williams, who also served with O’Hara. “He just did an outstanding job on every mission we were asked to do.”
O’Hara served in Iraq for 15 months and was recently released from the Army. He was planning to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder with hopes of becoming a stockbroker, Barber said.
Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post
