Army Spc. Rush M. Jenkins

Died October 30, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Clarksville, Tenn.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Oct. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces engaged his unit with small-arms fire and an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Sgt. Daniel L. McCall and Pfc. Cody M. Carver.

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Brothers recall soldier killed on his birthday

The Associated Press

Rush M. Jenkins’ twin brother, Michael woke up on his birthday and thought of his sibling, off fighting in a faraway place.

“I was waiting for him to give me a call,” he said.

Instead he received another call. Rush “Mickey” Jenkins, 22, of Clarksville, Tenn., was killed Oct. 30 when his patrol was struck by an explosive and small-arms fire in Salman Pak. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Benning.

“That’s all I could think of, is why on his birthday?” Michael Jenkins said.

Jenkins worked for a beer distributor in North Carolina after graduating from high school. Uninspired, he joined the Army in March 2006. He played football and wrestled.

“He was ready to get out on his own and be his own man,” said another brother, Sgt. George “Alex” Jenkins.

His father taught him to play guitar when he was about 10, and they paired up often for jam sessions. “He was my picking buddy,” Rickey Jenkins said. “We had about a dozen guitars.”

Jenkins “was doing what he thought was right,” said his brother George. “He was a really nice guy. He was caring and easy to get along with.”