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Sorry to have to start the day on a down note. A moment of silence and a raised glass in rememberance of 1st Lieutenant Jonathan D. Rozier, 25. Bravo Company 2nd Battalion 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, ist Armored Division, Ft. Riley,Kansas. Winner of the Bronze Star w/ "V" Device for Valor for combat actions while attatched to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was a fellow Texan, soldier, a father and a husband.

John

Thunderbolts Say Goodbye To One Of Their Own

Spc. John S. Wollaston
Staff Writer

BAGHDAD IRAQ – The Forward Operating Base for the 2nd Battalion 70th Armor Regiment has been, as of late, a place of happy times with the awarding of medals for their performance during Operation Iraqi Freedom and a place of transition with the departure of Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Ingram and the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Leopoldo Quintas. Now, a new emotion has been added to the menu for the 2-70th, sorrow at the loss of a fellow soldier.

Memorial services were held Tuesday morning at the Battalion headquarters for 1st Lieutenant Jonathan D. Rozier. Rozier was killed last Saturday in the Abu Garib market section of Baghdad when a rocket-propelled grenade struck him while his platoon was conducting a routine traffic control point. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 1st Armored Division gathered to say goodbye and remember a friend and fellow soldier. Rozier, a native of Katy, Texas and a recent graduate of Texas A&M University, had been with Bravo Company a little over a year and promoted to 1st Lt. Shortly before his death.

“When I think of a Texas Aggie, I think of the stereotypical Texas Aggie,” Said Rozier’s Battalion Commander, Lt. Col Leopoldo Quintas. “Loud and boisterous, someone who was headstrong. Well, I’d have to say Jon was the exception to that rule. He was quiet and unassuming. He led his soldiers both in peacetime and with distinction in war. He served side by side with them. He assumed their risks and dangers, and he endured their hardships, every step, every kilometer of the way.”

It was Rozier’s platoon of tanks from Bravo Company that was first across the berm that separates Kuwait and Iraq in the early hours of March 20th signaling the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). For his actions during the ground combat phase of OIF, 1st Lt. Rozier had recently been awarded the Bronze Star with “V” Device for Valor by Major General David Petraeus, Commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) with whom 2-70th spent the majority of their time with during combat operations.

“Jon died doing what a platoon leader should do.” Said his company commander Captain D. Bradley Laauwe. “He was on the ground with his soldiers, setting the example and leading from the front. You can’t ask anymore of a leader than to be out front with his soldiers.”

Capt. Laauwe then read a portion of a poem read at every Aggie muster for those who have fallen. “Softly call to muster, let comrades answer here. Their spirits hover ‘round, as if to us bring cheer. Mark them present forever in your hearts, we’ll meet again some other day. For there is no death but life eternal, for old friends such as they.”

Shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony, 3rd Brigade Commander, Colonel Russ Gold said the people who killed 1st Lt. Rozier would be found and brought to justice. “We are not fighting soldiers, because soldiers have honor,” Gold said of the attackers. “We are engaged with criminals, who are immoral, have no honor, and contribute nothing to society but hatred and discontent. They are murderers, and only understand one thing, brute force, and that is just what they are going to get. I will use every resource available to find and capture the individuals responsible for this heinous crime”.

The ceremony concluded with a roll call, the playing of taps and friends and fellow soldiers coming forward to pay their last respects. 1st Lieutenant Jonathan D. Rozier, 25, is survived by his wife Jessica and his 8-month-old son Justin.

...Mark them present forever in your hearts, we’ll meet again some other day. For there is no death but life eternal, for old friends such as they...

Words well worth repeating! Good to have you with us again TXRadioguy!

RIP 1st Lt Jonathan D. Rozier

My prayers to the family and friends of 1st Lt Jonathan D. Rozier. Rest in peace, Warrior.

"Memorial services were held Tuesday morning at the Battalion headquarters for 1st Lieutenant Jonathan D. Rozier."

Thank You for giving your all to help ensure my Freedom
1st Lieutenant Jonathan D. Rozier.
May God Welcome you home and comfort your family and friends.
Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.