Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen

Remember Our Heroes

Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen, 27, of Clackamas, Calif.

Capt. Jensen was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 7, 2007 in Seattle of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire during combat operations May 7 in Baqubah, Iraq.

The Oregonian -- A 27-year-old Army captain who grew up in the Damascus area has died from wounds sustained May 7 during combat in Baqouba, Iraq.

Capt. Drew N. Jensen was paralyzed from the neck down and required a ventilator to breathe after he was shot in the neck by a sniper during his second tour of duty, according to Gayle McCoy, a family friend from Damascus.

He is survived by his wife, Stacia Jensen, to whom he'd been married about a year, two older brothers, Adam and Shane Jensen, and his parents, Lance and Mardie Jensen.

"He's one of the three most wonderful children ever born," said his mother, Mardie Jensen. "We'd like to have him remembered for his accomplishments rather than his death."

According to a news release from the Department of Defense, Jensen was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

McCoy said his platoon is due home next week.

She added that, in accordance with Drew Jensen's wishes, his family "had gone through the steps that are required to have the ventilator removed through the hospital" and that he died peacefully on Friday. His loved ones, she said, were "able to say their goodbyes and give him last rites."

Drew Jensen was an Eagle Scout and studied at West Point, according to McCoy, who called him "a natural-born leader."

Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen was killed in action on 9/7/07.