Somerton native killed in northern Iraq

A Philadelphia native due to end his second tour of duty in Iraq next month died Thursday of injuries sustained from enemy small-arms fire in Balad, northern Iraq.

Pfc. Adam J. Chitjian, 39, raised in Somerton, had joined the Army four years ago in response to 9/11, his older brother, Martin, said last night.

When it came to his country's defense, "he wanted to act, rather than just talk," Martin, 41, of Buckingham, Bucks County, said.

A stocky 5-foot-11-inches, Adam Chitjian "appeared bigger than he was," Martin said. To his brother, Adam seemed invincible.

"I would have bet my life he would have come back without a scratch," said Martin, a lawyer, who was struggling last night to grasp his brother's death. "I don't really believe it happened."

Their father, Martin, who lives in Furlong, and sister, Kara Spatola of Warrington, were too distraught to talk, Martin said. Their mother, Edith, died 10 years ago of cancer.

Chitjian was assigned to Third Battalion, Eighth Cavalry Regiment, Third Brigade Combat Team, First Cavalry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas.

It was in Texas where he met Shirley, who would become his wife. They married in the summer of 2006, after he returned from his first tour of duty in Iraq. The couple have no children.

Martin said his brother had been a commercial painter since graduating from Northeast Philadelphia's George Washington High School. He had talked of possibly joining a private security firm at the end of his duty in Iraq.