Aaron D. Jagger
First Sergeant, United States Army
October 21, 1962 – August 9, 2006
Age – 43
Hillsdale, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany
Killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq
A Friedberg, Germany-based soldier who was known for the music he played at memorial services in Iraq was killed in Iraq on August 9, 2006.
First Sgt. Jagger was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment “Bandits.”
Anson Jagger said his brother’s death came on the heels of the loss of their younger brother, Quinn Jagger, who died of brain cancer during Aaron Jagger’s first Iraq tour in 2004.
“Aaron was able to get out of his tour about a month early to come home for that funeral,” Anson Jagger said in a phone interview. “It was just devastating to the family.”
“When my little brother died and Aaron came home, we really, for the first time in five years or more, we had time to sit back and reflect on life.”
During those talks, Anson Jagger tried to talk his brother out of staying in the Army.
“Aaron talked about one more hitch. He thought it would give him a little more rank, a little more money, a little more security for retirement,” Anson Jagger said. “He was always gonna get out. Isn’t that the story every time for a lot of guys? But he really loved what he did and was committed to the guys he fought with. He had a very dynamic and engaging personality. It fit well with his other love, and that was music.”
Aaron Jagger was well known as lead guitarist of the 1-37’s war zone rock band, which recorded the unit’s battle hymn, “The Bandit Song,” earlier in the deployment. The song was a hit in the battalion and kicked off all unit functions.
But the band also played at the unit’s downrange memorial services.
“He believed in what he was doing and thought it was the right thing. He always told us not to worry about him, that he would be OK,” Carol Bailey, Jagger’s mother, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Aaron Jagger scheduled his two weeks of rest and recuperation leave during this tour to coincide with a family reunion in Michigan in early July. Since his brother would be home, Anson Jagger planned to have his wedding during those two weeks as well.
“He was so excited about coming home,” Anson Jagger said.
But two weeks before the reunion, Aaron Jagger’s brigade was moved from relatively placid northern Iraq to Ramadi, the heart of the Iraqi insurgency. In the shuffle, news came that Aaron Jagger’s leave was canceled.
“It really saddens me. And I’m sure with that news, he felt like, ‘here we go again.’ But he knew the risks and the consequences, and he was a very courageous person,” Anson Jagger said.
He was remembered by a fellow soldier –
Dear 1SG Jagger,
I served with you in 2005-2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom in Rabia. I was the medic for the BTT team that volunteered to go on missions with your men due to a shortage of medics. On my final mission with 1AD our vehicle was struck by an IED, everyone came out alright and we continued mission. I left Rabia shortly after this attack to go leave in late July and came back to learn of your passing. You had put me up for the Combat Medical Badge for the actions of that IED attack, but due to your passing all correspondence was lost. I am writing you today, July 4th 2011, to let you know that I have received my CMB for my actions in Afghanistan and to let you know that I dedicated this honor to you during the ceremony. I have not forgotten nor will I ever forget your service and sacrifice for our country and incredible First Sergeant that you were. God be with you.
SGT Bradley Storck