Family of fallen soldier speaks for first time

PLYMOUTH – For the first time since a road side bomb killed four Indiana National Guard members last week, the family of one of those soldiers talks about the loved one they lost.

Spc. Robert Tauteris Junior, 44, was killed in a road side bomb attack last week along with Spc. Brian Leonhardt of Merrillville, Spc. Christopher Patterson of Aurora, Illinois, and SSgt. Jonathan  Metzger of Indianapolis. They were a part of the National Guard's 713th Engineer Company out of Valparaiso.

Tauteris, or Bobby as his family called him, was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.  But on this tour, he was accompanied by his 22 year-old son, Spc. Robert Tauteris III, who is also a member of the National Guard and also attached to the 713th Engineer Company.

But Tauteris III is not remembering a hero or brother in arms, instead, he is remembering the man he called dad.  Spc. Tauteris III escorted the bodies of his father and his three fallen brothers in arms from Afghanistan to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

"It was an honor being able to escort my father and the other fallen soldier’s home from Afghanistan,” he said.  “It's something I'll never forget and I'm more honored to do that than I have been to do many things in my life.”

In a news conference surrounded by his wife, aunt, uncles and younger brother, Tauteris expressed how he remembers his dad.

"I can't stress enough how much he cared about me and my brother,” he said. “It was the most important thing to him; it was like his meaning in life was to be a father.”

"To the world, yes he was a hero, but to us he was a brother and he was a father," Tauteris Jr.'s sister, Tammy Smith, said.

Tauteris family described the fallen soldier as an American boy through and through, but he loved nothing more than his children.

"He devoted his life to me and my brother," Tauteris III said, "He always loved to take us fishing, camping when we were young kids. He stood up as our boy scout leader from the time we were very young to being too old to be in boy scouts."

But he was not your typical soldier.  Tauteris was nearly 40-years-old when he enlisted in the National Guard in 2007.  His oldest son, Tauteris III, followed in his dad's footsteps, enlisting two years later to serve his country with his father.

The two deployed to Afghanistan with the 713th Engineering Company in October with a very important and dangerous mission; clearing roads of road side bombs. On January 6th, it was a catastrophic road side bomb that killed Tauteris and the three other heroes.

For this family, one American hero also holds the title of dad.

"He is a hero and I think what made him who he is, is how much he cared about his children and his family," Tauteris III said.

The military is still investigating the deaths and the family did not want to speak about the attack.

Tauteris' funeral viewing and funeral will be this Sunday in North Judson at Breman & Bailey Funeral Home.  The viewing will begin at 10:00a.m. The funeral service will start at 1:00p.m.

Tauteris body will arrive in North Judson on Saturday and will be escorted through the town by the Patriot Guard.

Donations can be made at the funeral home to Matthew Tauteris or Robert Tauteris III.  All donations will be given to a charity of their choosing.

The family is asking for their privacy from the media from now on.