Army Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Tessar

Died October 31, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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36, of Simi Valley, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Oct. 31 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Also killed were Spc. William J. Byler, Pfc. David J. Martin and Pvt. Adam R. Johnson.

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Simi Valley, Calif., soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Jonathan Tessar joined the Army before he turned 18, dedicating half his life to the military and along the way becoming a Green Beret and Airborne Ranger who took pains to look out for his soldiers.

Tessar, 36, was killed Oct. 31, along with three other soldiers when a bomb detonated near their vehicle in Al Mahmudiyah, just south of Baghdad.

Hours before his death, Tessar e-mailed his older brother to say he was fine but wondered if he could help Tessar’s wife with care packages for “his guys.”

His older brother recalled how proudly Tessar wore his dress uniform, with the numerous medals and badges pinned to his chest.

“He looked more decorated than generals,” Bill Tessar, 38, said. “He was always signing up and going around the world protecting his country.”

“His family was more important to him than anything, but his love and loyalty to the Army and to his soldiers was unwavering,” said Tessar’s wife, Nancy, in a statement released Nov. 1 by officials from Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was stationed.

Tessar was stationed with the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne.

Local services for Tessar were pending.