Jason G. Wright
Private First Class, United States Army
Age – 19
Luzerne, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY
Died when his vehicle came under fire while guarding a gasoline station in Mosul, Iraq
Pfc. Jason G. Wright of Luzerne, Michigan was a good student who played on the baseball, basketball and football teams in high school. Jason was already a quality person before joining the military and he grew even more after signing up. It was remarkable, the stature, the maturity, the confidence he had gained since enlisting. This was a direction he chose to go, and he was proud of what he was doing. He was a well-mannered boy who was protective of his three younger brothers. She remembered how the boys would slide down a hill on her property during the winter and how she expressed concern for their safety on a particularly icy day. “He said, ‘Don’t worry Mrs. Giardina, I’ll protect my brothers,'” Giardina recalled. “Then he went on to protect us.”
Jason Wright graduated in 2002 from Mio Au Sable High School, where he played varsity baseball, football and basketball. He joined the Army in June 2002 in hopes of getting to jump out of airplanes. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky. Trained as a mortar man, he and his unit were sent to the Middle East in March 2003 as the United States and its allies prepared to invade Iraq.
He once gave up an opportunity to come home for Christmas so another soldier could be with his own family during the holidays. That was his unselfish nature. That was the personality he had.
He was remembered by fellow soldiers as follows:
“TO THE FAMILY OF JASON WRIGHT HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING YOUR SON, GRANDCHILD, POSSIBLY BROTHER (AS I SAW HIM). I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I WAS DEVASTATED TO FIND OUT OF HIS LOST. I HAD ATTENDED BASIC TRAINING AT FT. BENNING 2-19, 3RD PLATOON, DAWGS OF WAR WITH JASON. HE WAS A KIND HEARTED AND ALL AROUND GOOD PERSON. HE ALONG WITH TYLER BOOK, AND DWIGHT HALL MADE BASIC TRAINING A BEARABLE AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE. I REGRET NOT HAVING KEPT IN TOUCH WITH HIM AND THE FUTURE CHANCE OF GETTING TO KNOW HIM. I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE THAT HE DID ALL FOR HIS COUNTRY, FAMILY AND FRIENDS. JASON YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME AND FOREVER MOPP LEVEL 5. I’LL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT LIFE I PROMISE, UNTIL THEN GODSPEED PRIVATE FIRST CLASS JASON G. WRIGHT, AND MAY HEAVEN HOLD YOU IN ITS HIGHEST CHOIRS. YOUR BROTHER… RABBIT”
PFC. ANTHONY J. BURNS of SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII
Jason I still miss you every single day of my life… Even though it’s been a few years now I still can’t help but think of you every day…I wish so much that you could be here with us now and I will never forget the memories we shared…I still pull out all the pictures of us together in Iraq and cry so much because I can’t believe you are gone man…
Dion Tieman
I served with PFC Wright in the Iraq war in 2003. He was in my mortar platoon and was a brother to me and the rest of the team. He always smiled and carried on no matter how hard or tough things got. His spirit still lives on in the memories we share. He was a very good friend and one outstanding soldier. I just wish I could shake his hand and tell him how much he meant and still does to today to all of us who served with him and fought to protect each other. He served his country proudly and with honor. I never once remember him complaining about anything we had to do in the effort either out on patrols or pulling security. He lives on through all of us. Jason, my brother in arms, may you rest in peace under heaven skies and know that you are missed.
Ronnie Howton