Army Spc. Jonathan D. Welch

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.

Spc. Welch was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Aug. 31, 2009 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu and Spc. Tyler R. Walshe.

OC Register -- Flags at the Capitol building in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff tomorrow in honor of Army Spc. Jonathan Welch from Yorba Linda.

Welch died on Monday after a roadside bomb struck his unit in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan. He was 19-years-old.

“Maria and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Specialist Jonathan Welch. He fought courageously, putting himself in harm’s way as he served our country," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement released Wednesday evening. "We join all Californians in remembering his commitment and sacrifice.”

Welch joined the Army in March, 2007 and was stationed out of Fort Lewis, Wash. He was on his first deployment, and had been in Afghanistan since July.

The Associated Press is reporting that at least 49 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan last month, making August the deadliest months for troops since the American-led invasion in 2001.

Pfc. Jordan Brochu, a 20-year-old from Cumberland Maine, died with Welch in the attack.

Army Spc. Jonathan D. Welch was killed in action on 8/31/09.