Fallen soldier’s wife sees ‘Stars’

The wife of a fallen Army sniper came to Las Vegas this week on a mission to meet the “Pawn Stars.”

She got her wish and more.

In a letter to the cast of the hit reality TV show, Jane Horton of Oklahoma asked whether she could visit the store and present them with a KIA bracelet and a photo of her husband, Spc. Christopher Horton.

She explained in the letter, “The last week I spent with Chris before he deployed we watched ‘Pawn Stars’ continually because it was one of his favorite shows.”

Horton, 26, met Rick Harrison, son Corey and Corey’s sidekick Austin “Chumlee” Russell, who all wore the KIA bracelets while filming an upcoming segment for the show.

“When I looked over and saw it on Rick’s wrist, I almost burst into tears,” Horton said via telephone from New York, after leaving Las Vegas on Wednesday.

“I didn’t expect the treatment that they gave me. They had looked up Chris on the Internet and gave me a donation to his fund and an autographed book.”

Horton’s husband was among three Oklahoma National Guard soldiers killed Sept. 9, 2011, in Paktya, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire.

They had met while working on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign in 2005 and were volunteers for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2008.

She gave the bracelets to the “Pawn Stars” on the same day Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, wore one during the second presidential debate.

“We knew he was going to wear it,” said Horton, who grew up in Cleveland.

“When I pass out Chris’ bracelet, it’s not only for him but all the fallen soldiers. America has never been so divided. One thing that brings us together is the reverence for the fallen service members.

“Maybe it’s the one thing that will help bring this country together,” she said.

-Norm Clarke