Army Staff Sgt. Jason L. Brown

Died April 17, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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29, of Magnolia, Texas; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died April 17 in Sama Village, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked using small-arms fire and grenades.

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Fort Campbell soldier dies in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — An Army Special Forces soldier with Oklahoma ties was killed by a burst of small-arms fire while trying to capture an al-Qaeda leader in an Iraq town, the military said.

Staff Sgt. Jason L. Brown, 29, was killed early Thursday during a combat operation in Sama Village.

Brown, of Magnolia, Texas, was a Special Forces engineer sergeant assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, an Army post along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

Brown was killed instantly by small-arms fire while attempting to enter a building during an operation to capture an al-Qaeda leader in the village, according to a release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Brown enlisted in the Army in 2003 and was on his second combat tour when he died, the release said.

Brown is survived by his daughter, Alyssa Gomez, of Cypress Texas; his mother, Rosemary, and his father, James, of Cartwright, Okla.

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Funeral held in Oklahoma for slain Green Beret

The Associated Press

DURANT, Okla. — Following a funeral in southeastern Oklahoma, a soldier killed in Iraq will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

A funeral was held Saturday in Durant for Staff Sgt. Jason Logan Brown. The Green Beret, whose parents live in Cartwright near the Texas border, was killed during combat last week in Sama Village, Iraq.

According to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Brown — who listed his home as Magnolia, Texas — was killed instantly by small arms fire while attempting to enter a building during an April 17 operation to capture an al-Qaida leader in the village.

Brown, 29, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Ky. He was in his second deployment to Iraq.

Brown was born in Dallas and graduated from Desoto High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in 2002. He enlisted in the Army the following year and earned the coveted Green Beret in 2004.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, a Meritorious Service Medal and an Army Commendation Medal.

Brown is survived by his daughter, Alyssa Gomez of Cypress, Texas, and his parents, James and Rosemary Brown of Cartwright.

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Army Staff Sgt. Jason L. Brown remembered

The Associated Press

Mandy Wallace-Villarreal will always remember her friend Jason L. Brown as a smart, handsome, kind, respectful and funny guy.

“You accomplished more in five years than most will accomplish in an entire lifetime. You will be greatly missed but never ever forgotten,” Wallace-Villarreal wrote on an online message board.

Brown, 29, of Magnolia, Texas, was killed April 17 by small-arms fire in Sama Village. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and was on his second tour.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in 2002, enlisted in the Army the next year and earned the coveted Green Beret in 2004.

What his friends liked about him most were his sense of humor, his outgoing personality, his willingness to always lend a helping hand, and especially his love for life. He enjoyed the outdoors. In his free time, he hunted, fished and worked in his yard.

Brown is survived by his daughter, Alyssa Gomez.

“We’ll miss you dearly and we love you with all our hearts. You are leaving behind a legacy no other shoes can fill,” wrote friends Ryan and Jennifer Knell.