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- The People Behind The Sacrifice
Army Spc. Morgen N. Jacobs
Died October 7, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
20, of Santa Cruz, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Oct. 7 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained Oct. 6 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol vehicle in Aaliyah, Iraq.
Soldier from Santa Cruz dies in Iraq
Associated Press
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A 20-year-old soldier from Santa Cruz prompted to join the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was killed last week in Iraq by an explosive device.
Spc. Morgen Jacobs died Oct. 7, one day after he was injured in Aaliyah when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol vehicle, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.
Jacobs joined the military after graduating Soquel High School in June 2002. He had been in Iraq since January.
“After 9/11, he decided he was joining the Army to serve and protect his country,” his father, Todd Jacobs, told the Santa Cruz County Sentinel. “He sat on the couch in our living room and told us that.”
Jacobs was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
“He died with his boots on,” Todd Jacobs said. “I want him to be remembered as the individual who was fighting for freedom.”
Jacobs was an active youth, enjoying softball, biking, golf and skimboarding.
“He was a very active little boy,” his father told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He was always building models ... building airplanes, building ships, playing with his Legos.”
Jacobs shared few details about his service in Iraq with his family, preferring to catch up on what was going on at home.
On a trip home this summer, Jacobs talked about his reasons for serving in Iraq, saying he wanted to make sure his sister would grow up in a safe world.
“He wasn’t political,” Todd Jacobs told the Chronicle. “I don’t even know if he knew who’s running for president right now. It was all about country and fighting for freedom. I believe that he died honorably, and that he was fighting for that cause. For freedom.”