Even in death, Lukas Hopper found a way to make people laugh. The charismatic 20 -year-old paratrooper died Oct. Hopper: In the nude. Army: In the event of your death, the unit will conduct a memorial ceremony. Who would you like to speak at this ceremony?
It was funny. Kern did give the eulogy, and he did stutter. The guys in the unit laughed. And they cried. It was classic Hopper. Said Spc. As a youngster, he loved camping with his family and hanging out with friends. In high school, Hopper swam on the water polo and swim teams. He briefly went to community college in Merced but put his education on hold to enlist in the Army.
He told his family that he had intended to join the Navy, as his father and grandfather had, but when he went to the office to sign up, the recruiter was out to lunch. So he enlisted in the Army instead. His decision to join the military took his parents by surprise. Then again, Robin Hopper said, her son lived in the moment and was drawn to adventures.
His friends agreed. Though he was raised Mormon, Hopper liked to attend the Jewish services on base because at the end of the service, everyone danced and ate doughnuts and bagels, he told his pals. When Hopper left for basic training, a couple of his high school friends, Dan Alcorn and Heather Waldron, created Flat Luke , a photo of Hopper pasted to a stick. They carried it with them to parties and on trips.
His alter ego is pictured on a cruise with his parents, hanging out at Disneyland, posing with NFL cheerleaders and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner in Hawaii. Those close to him said Hopper was much more than just a funny guy. He was a movie buff who particularly liked films by Quentin Tarantino.
