Heaven! shed thy most propitious dews around!
Ye holy stars! look down with tender eyes,
And gild and guard and consecrate the ground
Where he now rests,
and whence we pray he will rise.
- after Henry Timrod
Please join me tonight in paying tribute to another fallen hero, Lance Corporal Jonathan A. Taylor, who gave his last full measure of devotion to his country,
Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor
On December 1, 2009, Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla., was killed by an improvised explosive device while on combat patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
Fox Company on patrol in Helmand Province
The family of Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Taylor told First Coast News they are devastated by what happened. "He died doing what he loved, which was serving our country. He had such a love for his family and this country." They family says they found out when two U.S. Marine's showed up at their door Tuesday. Taylor's mother was home alone, and called for family immediately. When the family arrived, the U.S. Marine's broke the news. [snip]
The 22-year-old graduated from Wolfson High School in 2005. He had been in Afghanistan for only two months with the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejuene. Wolfson ROTC instructor Sgt. Myron Jackson described Taylor, who elected to be a part of the program at Wolfson, as dedicated. "Sort of the ideal student," said Jackson.
He was a football player in school and very popular, said English teacher Ninon Rhome, who said he was in an Advanced Placement English class. "He was a bit of a clown. He liked to tell jokes," said Rhome. She said Taylor was a very smart, hard working, good student and was willing to help classmates if they had a difficult time in class. He also was a bit of a class clown and returned to the school to speak to students recently.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/...
They were knobs together at The Citadel, recruits together on Parris Island. Darius Evans remembers how he and Jonathan Taylor built on a friendship in boot camp that started during their first year at the Charleston military school. Both young men would go on to become Marines, but they would never have a chance to serve together. [snip]
Evans, a 23-year-old Marine reservist and fifth-year senior at The Citadel, recalled Taylor as motivated and driven. "Seeing his performance and work ethic as a knob," Evans said, "I'm sure he was a great Marine who would have gone on and made great contributions to his country."
http://www.postandcourier.com/...
"He had such a sense of honor and duty to serve his country," said his stepfather, Jimmy Branch. "He was doing what he loved to do." It was the 22-year-old's second deployment. He left for Afghanistan about two months ago, almost a year after coming home from Iraq. "He was in the mind-set of 'Let's go over there and get it over with,' " Branch said.
The lance corporal last spoke with his family the day before Thanksgiving, chatting with his three sisters and getting updates on the University of Florida Gators. "He brought so much light to the family," said his 15-year-old sister, MacKenzie Taylor. "If you saw him, you'd smile."
http://jacksonville.com/...
What is excellent,
as God lives, is permanent.
Hearts turn to dust,
hearts love remains.
Hearts love will meet the again.
- Emerson
God Bless Jonathan Taylor, a high school ROTC candidate who left the Citadel early to serve his country. May he rise.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories. The series, which was begun by i dunno, is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma and CalNM.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.