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Lafayette GI killed in roadside Iraq
blast
LAFAYETTE (AP) - A Lafayette high school graduate died in Iraq
last week from wounds he suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near
his vehicle, followed by small arms fire, the Army said Tuesday.
Staff
Sgt. Jacob Gerald McMillan died Wednesday, according to a news release.
McMillan was stationed in Kalsu, Iraq, but was in Baghdad at the time
of the incident.
The Lafayette High School graduate was the son of Kathryn
McMillan and Gerald McMillan, both of Lafayette. Jacob McMillan joined
the Army right after graduation in 1999, Kathryn McMillan said, and
was dedicated to serving in the military. "He didn't always agree with
the politics, but he believed in being a soldier," she said.
Jacob McMillan
was close friends with Army Cpl. Joseph C. Thibodeaux, 25, of Lafayette,
who died Sept. 1, 2004, in Hawijah, Iraq. Jacob McMillan and Thibodeaux
had been friends at Lafayette High, where McMillan had lettered in wrestling.
"This is a parallel funeral to the one we had two years ago with Joe,"
McMillan said. She added that his fiancee, Allegra Geffert, of Anchorage,
Alaska, will be flying in for her sons funeral, which will be held later
this week.
McMillan said the last time she saw her son was in September,
while he was on leave from Fort Richardson, Alaska, his most recent
duty station before his Oct. 6 deployment to Iraq.
McMillan was attached
to an airborne unit, his mother said, and was airborne-trained and Ranger-qualified.
After basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., McMillan had been assigned
to the 508th Infantry Battalion at Camp Ederle in Italy. He later served
with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in New York and served
four months in Afghanistan before being assigned to Fort Richardson.
McMillan is survived by his parents and two sisters, Sarah Allison McMillan
and Rebecca Lynn McMillan.
[The Town Talk, Alexandria, LA, 27 Dec 2006, Wed, Page 5]
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Eternal sentinel: Heroes
along the Vermilion He stood apart from the mourners, a solitary figure wrapped in grief but steeled with an unbending determination. He quickly glanced up as the final notes of Taps wafted eerily toward the banks of the Vermillion River. His eyes locked on the Army general presenting the American flag to the fallen soldier's parents, a scene he had witnessed far too often.
But this time, it was different. This time, America was honoring his childhood friend and kindred spirit, Army Cpl. Joseph C. Thibodeaux III, who had been struck down by an enemy sniper in Iraq. It seemed like hours before Staff Sgt. Jacob McMillan stirred from his post overlooking his friend's grave. It seemed as though for this former Lafayette High School wrestling champion, the pull to stand guard eternally over his best friend was overpowering.
But duty called and Staff Sgt. McMillan deployed a second time to Iraq. Combat was no stranger to this Airborne Ranger Infantryman who stood watch at night while Acadiana slept.
But tragically, on Dec. 20, 2006, while he was on patrol near Baghdad, enemy bullets cut short the life of Jacob McMillan. Too soon again, the Military Honor Guard rolled up the lonely, winding drive of Lafayette Memorial Cemetery. The soldiers reverently and with military precision lovingly carried their hero to his final resting place. Quickly, the volleys of the 21 gun salute pierced the silence, signaling to Joseph that Jacob had come home to stand guard again.
Jacob and Joseph are buried side by side friends in life; comrades in arms; and now brothers for eternity.
Let us fervently wish this Veteran's Day that all Americans honor the legacy of Jacob and Joseph and those who have gone before and those who serve today.
And when we pass Joseph's and Jacobs' parents on the street, let us not forget they are heroes too, guardians of what is best in all of us. God bless America!
[The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA, 11 Nov 2012, Sun, Page 15[] |
