Army Staff Sgt. Jarred S. Fontenot

Died October 18, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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35, of Port Barre, La.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Oct. 18 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire during combat operations.

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Fort Carson soldier dies in Baghdad

The Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. — A soldier based at Fort Carson who family members said aspired to be a soldier since he was a little boy has died of injuries suffered after an explosion and gunfire during his second tour in Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Jarred S. Fontenot, 35, of Port Barre, La., died Thursday in Baghdad, the military announced Friday.

Military officials said an improvised device exploded and Fontenot came under small arms fire during combat operations.

He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

He is the 224th Fort Carson soldier killed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, has lost 110 of those soldiers.

“He used to play ‘Rambo’ all the time,” Charles Marks, Fontenot’s grandfather, who also served in the Army, told The Gazette of Colorado Springs from his home in Port Barre. “He loved that.”

Fontenot is survived by his wife and four children. Marks said Fontenot’s 17-year-old son, his oldest, was in shock over the news of his father’s death.

“He’s hurt,” he said. “Him and his daddy kept in touch all the time. He’d call him often.”

His mother-in-law Bett Dedon, said Fontenot was a police officer before joining the Army on Christmas Day 1993.

Besides Marks, Fontenot’s two great uncles attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., joining the Marines and the Navy. Fontenot’s sister lives in North Carolina with her husband, who is also in the Army.

During his service, which included stints Korea and Iraq, Fontenot earned numerous awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Parachute Badge.

“He loved being a soldier, and he died doing what he loved,” Dedon said.

Fontenot is the 224th Fort Carson soldier killed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003.

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Body of soldier killed in Iraq arrives home

The Associated Press

OPELOUSAS, La. — The body of a Port Barre soldier killed Oct. 18 in Baghdad has arrived in Opelousas for a military funeral Oct. 27.

Staff Sgt. Jarred Seth Fontenot died last week of injuries suffered from a roadside bomb and small-arms fire. He was 35 and on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

His body arrived home Oct. 25.

Fontenot leaves behind a wife, Dana Lamke Fontenot, and four children — 16-year-old Cameron Fontenot, 7-year-old Logan Fontenot, 6-year-old Mason Fontenot and 4-year-old Macy Fontenot.

“We’re thankful we were able to get him home and to the funeral home privately, and we appreciate that,” said Bett Dedon, his mother-in-law. “The only thing we ask you is to keep his wife and children in your prayers.”

Fontenot’s family has requested privacy especially for the children. However, Sibille Funeral Home in Opelousas was to be open to the public for visitation Oct. 26.