Army Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, of Pompano Beach, Florida.

Sgt Jacoby died while conducting combat operations when the MH-47 helicopter that he was aboard crashed in the vicinity of Asadabad, Afghanistan in Kumar Province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia.

Jacoby enlisted in the Army after his high school graduation in 2002. Jacoby was a helicopter repairman before becoming a flight engineer in 2004. He was a member of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. In joining the military, Jacoby followed in his family's footsteps. His late grandfather, Ernest H. Jacoby, served as a major in World War II, serving five years from North Africa to Sicily, according to The Grand Rapids Press in Michigan.

Two great-uncles served in the Army Air Corps, braving anti-aircraft fire in B-17s and B-24s over Germany -- George Schempp as a bombardier and John Schempp as a pilot, the paper reported. A relative on his grandmother's side -- Matthew Degarmo --fought in the American Revolution, Jacoby's uncle, Ernest Jacoby, told the paper.

''I think he thought he had a duty,'' said Ernest Jacoby of Hastings, Mich. ``I think he believed in the mission we were fighting over there.''

"Kip believed his choice of service for our country was meaningful and right," his surviving family wrote in a statement posted one the Army's Web site. "He loved what he was doing, he knew the risks, and he was proud to be a Soldier fighting so others wouldn't have to. He made us all very proud. Even in the face of danger, he showed courage and bravery as well as a keen sense of humor. He honors us all."

Army Sgt Kip A. Jacoby was killed in action 06/28/05.