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Jacob Melson
died Jan. 7 in Iraq, while serving with the
Army National
Guard.
Service
Held January 19 4:00 at Assembly of GOD Wasilla
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THE FALLEN SOLDIER
by Patricia Krull
Don't weep for me
O' land of the free,
When it was my time to fall
'Twas for my country's call
'Twas for the land that I loved
That I gave my all,
And for the land that I loved
I did freely give,
And in her freedom and her
courage
I'll continue to live.
Dedicated to the brave men who
gave their lives
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Jacob's Story
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The night Army National Guard Spc.
Jacob Eugene Melson died in Iraq
began like many others. He told a
fellow soldier and close friend,
John Smith, that he was ready for
the next day, when he'd have a
little time off to finally get a
haircut and go to church. The
22-year-old soldier then gathered
his weapons and boarded a
helicopter in what would be his
final mission.
Jacob lost his life a short time
later, along with three fellow
members of his unit - the Bravo
Company, 1st Battalion, 207th
Aviation Regiment - and eight
passengers, which they were
transporting to Tel Afar, a city
near the Syrian border. Their
chopper went down during bad
weather in an area marked by heavy
fighting with Iraqi insurgents.
In his last mission, Jacob
worked as a door gunner and flight
engineer. Shortly before midnight
Jan. 7, his aircraft lost contact
with a second aircraft in the
formation and was not heard from
again.
Frontiersman
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Jacob's
Ministry
Relationships
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Life
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A Mat-Su boy, through and through,
Jacob Melson was born, raised and
married in the Valley. He attended
Colony High School until 2001. In
July, he married high school
sweetheart Sarah Ling Melson in
Hatcher Pass near the Little Su
River. One week after their
union, Sarah was sent to Illinois
to begin her training in a career
as a professional singer for the
U.S. Navy. Only a month later,
August, Jacob Melson headed to Iraq
for a one-year tour in combat and
combat support efforts. He was due
back this summer for a leave of
absence, but halfway through the
tour he lost his life.
Jacob hails from a longtime
Valley family. He was one of four
children and the son of Teresa
Melson and Mark Melson, an Alaska
Army National Guard captain.
Following in his father's
footsteps, Jacob joined the Army
National Guard in 2001, after
voluntarily entering and completing
the Youth Corps Program in
Anchorage.
The Melsons have attended Gospel
Outreach Church in Wasilla since
Jacob was 3. Pastor Mark Campbell
said that he remembers
Jacob as a quiet young man who
touched many lives.
“There was a strength in that
quietness". “I watched him grow up. He
loved his family, the Lord, and his
country, and he served them all. We
are going to greatly miss him.”
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Visit
or Contact GO
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4800 Palmer/Wasilla Highway
- 907 376-3784
- Fax 907 376-7263 E-mail
Let the Hope of the World, Be Your Hope
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