Wed Hero

This Weeks Hero Was Submitted by Beth

Spc. Jordan
William Hess
27 years old from Marysville, Washington
Company C, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment
December 5, 2006


"Specialist Hess died of wounds received on a battlefield upon which no
markers or memorials exist, yet his name will be etched upon the small
part of each of our hearts that has hardened to stone by the
realization of his passing. I will take Specialist Jordan Hess’ name to my own
grave, in the hope that I can somehow preserve the honorable life that he
led,” said Capt. Ian Lauer, commander of Company C.

Spc. Hess was a study in contrasts who loved a challenge. He had a
warrior's spirit and was thrilled at the chance to serve his county, his
parents said from their home in Marysville. He also was content to look
for his muse in various forms of art, including glass-blowing,
photography and poetry. It was this balance that people will remember most about
the 26-year-old who was critically injured Nov. 11 in Ta'Meem, Iraq,
when an IED detonated near his combat patrol.

A three-year veteran in the U.S. Army, Hess spent more than a year in
Korea as well as time in Germany, always looking for an overseas
assignment, Bill and Tammy Hess said. They knew their son was on his way to
Kuwait the last time they spoke with him in October, and they suspected
he had been deployed to Iraq as part of a tank unit when they didn’t
hear from him for several weeks. After his injury, Hess was flown back to
the United States and treated for several weeks at the Brooke Army
Medical Center in San Antonio. His parents, as well as his six brothers and
one sister, were flown there to be with him.

"None of us wanted to see him hurt like that," Bill Hess said. "But one
of the greatest blessings in my life was that we were able to say
goodbye."

Hess was an avid wrestler from the time he was young, and news of his
death circulated at Lake Stevens High School, where he attended until
1999. "He was a strong-willed, independent young man with a unique sense
of humor," the Lake Stevens wrestling coaches said in a statement. "The
Lake Stevens wrestling community today feels a strong sense of
loss."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that
others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am
proud to call them Hero.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic
Dreams.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just
Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like
to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great
country, you can find out how by clicking here.