Marine Sgt. Jason D. Peto

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Sgt. Jason D. Peto, 31, of Vancouver, Wash.

Sgt Peto was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Dec. 7, 2010 from wounds received Nov. 24 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.

A Marine from Vancouver, Wash., died Tuesday as a result of wounds from hostile fire in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Jason D. Peto, 31, was injured on Nov. 24 during combat operations in Helmand province, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.

Peto is the son of Janie and Ernie Peto of Vancouver.

He was a rifleman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Peto enlisted in the Marine Corps Sept. 13, 2004. This was his third combat deployment, according to a spokesman for the 1st Marine Division.

Four years ago, Peto was wounded in Ramadi, Iraq, during a combat tour with the 7th Regiment.

His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Peto attended Mountain View High School and Clark College before enlisting in the Marines.

Peto is the second serviceman from Clark County to die in Afghanistan this year. Army Chief Warrant Officer Jonah D. McClellan, 26, died on Sept. 21 in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of nine troops.

He was serving in Helmand province when he was struck by an improvised explosive device Nov. 24 as he was going door to door, said Paula Dillmon of Vancouver, his mother-in-law. The family was informed of his injuries soon afterward.

"We were told they expected him to survive, but he took a turn for the worse," she said. His injuries were complicated by an infection.

Dillmon said Peto's wife, Tiffany Peto, and his parents, Ernie and Janie Peto, traveled to Maryland and were waiting to accept his remains for return home. Peto and his wife had no children.

Peto had moved to Vancouver from Southern California when he was in junior high school. His family lived near Hockinson and had a farm with a cattle operation, and he enjoyed riding horses.

He attended Mountain View High School and Clark College before he joined the Marines in September 2004.

“As long as I’ve known him, he was going to go into the Marines,” Dillmon said. She noted that he was following family tradition: His father, brother and uncle all served in the Marines.

Peto and his wife were high school sweethearts. They were married in a secret ceremony at the Clark County Courthouse in 2005, as he was preparing for his first deployment to Iraq, Dillmon said. The couple had a formal ceremony at Mill Plain United Methodist Church after he returned in 2006.

Peto was awarded a second Purple Heart for the wounds that led to his death. He received his first for injuries suffered four years ago while he was serving in Iraq.

Marine Sgt. Jason D. Peto died 12/07/10 from wounds received in combat on 11/24/10.