Army Sgt. Jacob M. Simpson

Died May 16, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24, of Ashland, Ore.; assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.; killed May 16 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the building he was securing in Tal Afar, Iraq.

* * * * *

Fort Carson soldier dies in Iraq

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — A soldier from Oregon was killed in Iraq when he was struck by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade, according to relatives.

Sgt. Jacob Simpson, 24, is the 46th soldier with strong Oregon ties to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since March 2003. Five civilian contractors with Oregon ties have been killed in the two countries during that time.

Simpson, who was raised in Hood River and Ashland, was a gunner on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. He was killed Monday while he was on foot on a reconnaissance patrol, clearing a building near the northern city of Tikrit, said his sister, Kimberly Bemiss of Banks.

Simpson was a member of the Army’s 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Carson, Colo., according to a statement released late Wednesday by the Department of Defense.

Simpson’s mother, Roberta Simpson, lives in Lake Oswego, along with his brother, Carey. He has two sisters, Rebekah Simpson of Glenwood, Wash., and Bemiss. An uncle, Gary Simpson, lives in Hood River.

“While it’s a sorrowful time for us, we recognize what he did and why he did it,” said Gary Simpson. “We’re really proud of the sacrifice he made.”

Bemiss said her brother spent two years with the Army in Germany, then was stationed at Fort Carson. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq, she said.

Simpson was born and started high school in Hood River, continued in Ashland, then earned his G.E.D. certificate before he joined the Army. He was “very loving, very protective of us,” his sister said.