The News Tribune (Lite) - Brigade’s final casualty mourned

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Section: Stryker Brigade

Brigade’s final casualty mourned

BRENT CHAMPACO; The News Tribune
Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen fought for his Fort Lewis soldiers, who looked up to him as if he were Superman or a shepherd watching over a flock.

He trained them, allowed them to stay at his house during down times, even made them watch the TV show “Sex and the City” so they’d know how to approach women.

The Damascus, Ore., native protected his soldiers until his last day of combat May 7. He was shot in the neck in Baqouba, Iraq, while trying to help a fellow soldier who was pinned behind a vehicle after a bomb blast.

Four months later, he died in a Veterans Affairs hospital in Seattle. Doctors and family reportedly followed his wishes and turned off life support.

Jensen, 27, was a member of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He was the 48th and final casualty from the Stryker brigade’s just-completed 15-month deployment.

He was also the first and only officer to die in combat during the brigade’s two tours in Iraq since 2003 – a combined 27 months. He commanded the mortar platoon of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment.

Jensen leaves his wife of a little more than a year, a grieving family and dozens of Fort Lewis soldiers who grew to count on him.

On Wednesday, some of them joined the family during a standing-room-only memorial service at the post’s Main Chapel.

“He, like no one else, protected his values,” said Capt. Sean Nolan, who met Jensen during their training at Fort Benning, Ga.

Despite a 10-hour operation in Germany to stabilize his spine and fuse his vertebrae, Jensen’s injury left him a quadriplegic and dependent on a breathing tube. He was transferred to Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., then to the VA hospital in Seattle on June 1.

Jensen’s wife, Stacia, and other family members reportedly spent nearly 24 hours a day with him, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. At one point, doctors allowed him to swallow water and adjusted his ventilator so he could speak.

He died Sept. 7, three weeks before his 28th birthday.

“It seems to me there is no more difficult a decision than the one that Drew made,” said Lt. Col. Bruce Antonia, Jensen’s battalion commander.

Antonia and other soldiers who spoke at Wednesday’s memorial said they’ll remember Jensen for his leadership.

The youngest of three brothers was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Ore. He graduated from West Point with a bachelor’s degree in history and was commissioned an infantry officer in 2002.

Jensen went through the Ranger school at Fort Benning, and his first station was at Fort Lewis.

He was a member of the first Stryker brigade deployed to Iraq from November 2003 to October 2004. He met and married Stacia just before his second deployment in June 2006.

Fellow soldiers said Wednesday that Jensen was athletic and joked about his muscular build. Capt. Joe Kocer recalled how Jensen would outwork the rest of the battalion in the gym.

Capt. Benjamin Hines, chaplain for the 5-20, recalled how a blast once rocked his vehicle during a routine patrol. Jensen arrived at the scene to help. The chaplain said he was amazed at Jensen’s calm among the chaos.

Nolan considered Jensen a close friend. The pair got married within a few months of each other. They took car trips together and talked about having kids about the same time.

“We will never forget the things you taught us,” Nolan said.

In addition to his wife, Jensen is survived by his parents, Lance and Mardi Jensen, and his brothers, Shane and Adam.

His family has set up the Drew Jensen Memorial Fund, which will provide college scholarships for future leaders. Contributions can be made through the Oregon Community Foundation at www.ocf1.org.

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653

brent.champaco@thenewstribune.com