Jason M. Weaver

Jason Michael Weaver

170th MP Company

KIA 03/03/2011

SGT Jason Weaver was serving with the 170th Military Police Company,
attached to D Company 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry, when he made the ultimate sacrifice,
giving his life for his unit and his country.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Jason M. Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, Calif., died March 3 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered
when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 504th Military Police Battalion,
42nd Military Police Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

SGT Jason Weaver

'Raider' Brigade remembers 170th MP Company's Sgt. Jason Michael Weaver

1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs
Story by Spc Breanne Pye

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – 'Raider' Brigade mourns the loss of one of our own, who was killed March 3, in Kandahar City,
when his squad struck an improvised explosive device while conducting a combat foot patrol.

Sgt. Jason Michael Weaver., a 22-year-old native of Anahiem, Calif., was assigned to 170th Military Police Company,
504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, currently attached to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

“Jason epitomized the qualities that all soldiers seek to possess and Army leaders desire in their subordinates,”
said Capt. Ethan A. Olberding, commander, Company D, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
“He was intelligent, a solid communicator and physically fit.”

Weaver enlisted in the Army as a military police officer on Jan. 29, 2008. He attended One Station Unit Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Miss.,
and upon completion of his training, reported to Joint Base Lewis – McChord, Wash., where he was assigned to 170th Military Police Company,
504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade.

Weaver deployed to Afghanistan with the 170th MP Company, 504th MP BN ‘Dragon fighters’ in June, 2010.

“Jason was more than a friend; he was family, a brother and a hero,” said Spc. Brian Gabel, military police officer, assigned to
170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, currently attached to
1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

“Jason represented the first line of defense for his patrol by volunteering to be the point man during his patrols,” said Olberding.
“He set the tone on mission through his understanding of the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships with local villagers.”

“Jason took the responsibility of being the ‘point man’ for our foot-patrols,” said Gabel. “He knew it was a dangerous job,
but that’s the kind of guy he was; the kind who wanted to lead the way for his team and be there to protect them if they were in danger.”

“Jason’s dedication to duty far surpassed those identified in Army standards,” said Olberding. “He simply set an example
for others to follow, through selfless service and devotion to mission accomplishment. We will remember Sgt. Weaver for these qualitie
s as we strive to match those exemplified by him.”

Weaver is survived by his mother, Patricia Ann Weaver, and his father, Kevin Lee Weaver.

A memorial in Sgt. Jason Michael Weaver’s honor was held in Afghanistan, March 6, 2011.

SGT Weaver's decorations

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The casket containing the body of fallen Soldier Sgt. Jason M. Weaver
is carried to the hearse under a backdrop of American flags.
Credit: Thomas Wasper

Hero Mission: A Soldier's Body Is Returned to His Mother
The community pays tribute to Army Sgt. Jason Weaver.
His coffin was flown home Monday from Afghanistan.
By Paige Austin

Patricia Weaver’s only son arrived home from Afghanistan today in a coffin flown to Los Alamitos to be honored by his family,
friends, fellow soldiers and the community.

Army Sgt. Jason Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, died March 3 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit
using an improvised explosive device, according to the Department of Defense.

Weaver was honored Monday in a solemn ceremony called a Hero Mission. Flags whipped in the wind, and dozens of soldiers
stood at attention as his silver, flag-draped coffin was unloaded from a plane and carried to a waiting hearse.

His sacrifice was punctuated by the pained cries of his mother, a reminder that Jason Weaver was a son,
nephew and cousin, who died suddenly at a young age.

“Oh, my baby. Oh, Jason, sweetheart, I love you so much. Oh, my baby, my baby,” cried Patricia Weaver as she hugged her son’s coffin.
“Why did you take him from me?"

Weaver’s small family, including his aunts and cousins, held hands forming a protective circle around his coffin as his mother cried over him.

An officer helped to hold up Patricia Weaver, and a wheelchair was brought for her follow her son's casket as it was taken away.

The somber scene was painful to watch, but it was important that the community be there to honor the sacrifices of the Weaver family,
said those in attendance.

“We look at this as an opportunity to honor the sacrifices and service of our fallen brothers in the Army and their families,”
said Lt. Jan Bender, a spokesman for the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, which has hosted roughly a dozen Hero Missions
for local soldiers who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Newport Beach resident and Korean War veteran Robert Anuba attended the emotional ceremony to pay his respects.

“We are so fortunate to have soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their lives for our country,” he said. “Being in the Korean War,
I lost so many buddies, and this is a way for me to let my feelings out and show people we care.”

Hero Missions are held at the base when a local soldier who is killed in the war is flown home. Because of the airfield on the Joint Forces base,
the surrounding community has had the opportunity to honor fallen soldiers long since the wars and their tolls have fallen off the front pages
and out of the public eye. The base has hosted 14 Hero Missions since 2009.

Jason Weaver’s family allowed the public to attend so that the community could know who he was.

A plaque commemorating fallen Soldier Sgt. Jason M. Weaver was signed on the back
and presented to Weaver's family by members of the honor guard.
Credit: Thomas Wasper

“He was a very brave and courageous young man, said his aunt Linda Berkheimer. “He was not a follower. He was a leader.”

The family tried to talk him out of enlisting, but it was something he had always wanted to do, said his aunts and cousins.
A graduate of El Dorado High School in Placentia, Weaver played football for his high school team as a linebacker and planned
to become a police officer when he returned from the war. He was strong-willed and couldn’t be talked out of doing
what was important to him, said his aunt.

Weaver talked to his mother almost daily before he was killed.

Patricia Weaver issued a written statement about her son.

“My son was a very compassionate, loving, caring and generous person. He always wanted a job helping people.
He always made people laugh. He adored children. When he walked into a room, everybody noticed him by his adorable smile
and dimples. He always knew some day he would join the Army. He was a terrific son, friend and best friend, and a wonderful human being.
I love him so much. I will miss him very much.”

LosAlamitos - Seal Beach Patch

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