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 thats 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.
Jasons 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 Weavers honor was held in
Afghanistan, March 6, 2011.
Left: SPC Jason Weaver in Afghanistan
Photo from the 1st Battalion
22nd Infantry yearbook for
Operation Enduring Freedom X - XI
Above: The entry for SGT
Jason Weaver in the
1st Battalion 22nd Infantry yearbook for
Operation Enduring Freedom X - XI
SGT Jason M. Weaver's decorations
**********************
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 Weavers 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
sons coffin.
Why did you take him from me?"
Weavers 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 Weavers 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 couldnt 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
**********************
Memorial for Jason
Michael Weaver and David Fahey
Lt. Col. Richard Bell delivers the commander's tribute.
SPC DeAna Flores 170th MP Company seated to the right of the U.S.
flag.
SPC Flores was a featured speaker at the memorial.
Photo by TONY OVERMAN The Olympian courtesy of DeAna Flores
Fallen remembered with
pride
Memorial: Pair were opposites in some ways, died within days of
each other
By CHRISTIAN HILL; Staff writer
March 24, 2011
They came from opposite American shores, with different
personalities and interests. Spc. David Fahey Jr. was raised near
New York City, loved the Yankees
and was always ready with a joke or funny story. Sgt. Jason
Weaver grew up near Los Angeles, cheered on the Green Bay Packers
and had a sarcastic wit.
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord community gathered Wednesday to
recall the shared bond between the two soldiers, both assigned to
the
170th Military Police Company. Fahey and Weaver died three days
apart in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan in separate
roadside bomb attacks.
One of the things they had in common was living by the
motto, deeds, not words, wrote Lt. Col. Clay
Padgett, commander of the infantry battalion to which
the company was assigned. Without question, Spc. Fahey and
Sgt. Weaver served with the bravery and distinction few can
fathom outside of those who wear the uniform.
His remarks were read before hundreds of mourners at the first
memorial service held at Lewis-McChord since September, a sign of
the decline
in the number of local soldiers serving overseas. The number of
South Sound soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq has dropped from an
estimated 18,000
last year to about 1,500 now, according to the Army.
The danger continues, however, and speakers Wednesday recalled
how Fahey, 23, and Weaver, 22, faced it confidently and
willingly.
During down time, they tried to lighten the mood for their peers.
Weaver, who died March 3, was described as a cornerstone of his
platoon.
For the soldiers in his team, he cut an impressive figure
as the point man at the front end of many of their patrols,
a position he volunteered for time and again, Padgett said.
In his remarks read at the service, the company commander, Capt.
Andrew Sergent, said Fahey had participated in every mission
since arriving last summer.
Both soldiers had an affinity for children. Fahey would often
challenge Afghan youth to a friendly arm-wrestling match,
while Weaver would look after the kids who surrounded him on his
long foot patrols.
Sergeant recalled Fahey, who died Feb. 28, as being a favorite
target of jokes. His squad mates would often tease him about his
proficiency
in hitting every pothole when he was at the wheel.
Sgt. Jose Velasquez said Fahey was excited to serve his country
and then return to his family and serve his community.
Fahey was a great guy, a great soldier, but most of all, a
great friend, Velasquez said.
Spc. DeAna Flores recalled Weaver saying he looked forward to
returning home to California. She promptly asked why he wanted to
go back
to a state with the same air quality as Afghanistan but
with less dust. Weaver was somewhat irritated, she said, but
laughed off her comment
by saying he hoped she enjoyed cold and rainy Washington.
Those brief moments of levity were overshadowed Wednesday by an
atmosphere of deep grief. Weavers mother, Patricia, sobbed
throughout the ceremony.
As she paid her final respects, she cried out, Oh, Jason, I
love you so much. Im so proud of you.
Christian Hill: 253-274-7390 christian.hill@thenewstribune.com
The Weaver Dining Facility (DFAC) at
Kandahar City, Afghanistan
named in honor of Jason Weaver, built by his fellow Soldiers in
Rogue Platoon
Photo from the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry
newsletter
Regular Post April 2011 Volume II Issue VII
**********************
SGT Jason Weaver |
42nd MP BDE |
Burial:
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Cypress)
Cypress
Orange County
California, USA
To view a tribute to Jason Michael Weaver click on the following link:
United States Army Sergeant Jason Weaver
To view a tribute to the life of
Jason Michael Weaver by his friend and fellow Soldier Brian Gabel
click on the following link:
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