Army Sgt. Jonathon C. Haggin

Died July 30, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Kingsland, Ga.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard, Albany, Ga.; killed July 30 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee while he was on patrol in Baghdad. Also killed were Sgt. 1st Class Victor A. Anderson, Sgt. Ronnie L. Shelley Sr. and Sgt. David R. Jones Sr.

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Gung-ho Marine couldn’t wait to rejoin his unit

Associated Press

Jonathon C. Haggin was a gung-ho former Marine who couldn’t wait to rejoin his Army unit in Iraq despite suffering two broken ribs in a bomb blast.

“He was so ready to get out there and fight, the leader of his troop had to hide his guns and ammunition so he could wait for orders,” said Ted Martinez, Haggin’s father-in-law.

Haggin, 26, of Kingsland, Ga., was killed July 30 by a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad. He was based at Albany.

After deploying to Iraq in 2003, he worked as a security guard at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. He helped teach his fellow guards to fire M-16s and how to bulls-eye their targets before they graduated from their training course. “He was a very nice, friendly guy and he was always willing to step in and help whenever it was necessary,” said Jack Mercer, director of the Chaffey Community Show Band, where his father played trumpet.

He is survived by his ex-wife, Anna, and their 2-year-old daughter, Leaundra. The two had recently reconciled, and Anna was pregnant with their second child.

“I’m praying to God its a boy. If its a girl, she will have to be named Jonathon,” she said.