Jake Pritchett

Taken of Jake in Las Vegas (Nevada)

When January 10th of 2003 rolled around, I never would have thought that the five foot eleven, blue eyed, light brown hair, one hundred and ninety pound man I met would become my husband, and my hero. Five years later here we are; married and happy. Jake is my hero because of his motivation, determination, unselfishness, and inner strength that he has showed me, and his country.

In February of 2003, during Jake’s first deployment everything was so new to us. This was his first deployment, and we had just met three weeks prior to his departure. Getting to know me, the other soldiers, and his surroundings in Iraq seemed overwhelming to him at first. Jake was sent to Iraq to fight the war on terrorism, and to remove Saddam Hussein. During this time, the seven months that Jake was in Iraq, he had to experience such hardships. Being on this deployment, the troops had to travel for days without sleep; going from Camp Shoop Kuwait to over one hundred miles into Iraq. Once reaching Iraq, the marines went to several different cities to secure them; doing so, would sometimes involve gunfire and explosives with the enemies. Jake would have long nights, sometimes eighteen to thirty six hours, of standing guard over a building or a highway to keep the security that they had provided. When Jake called me, I found out that they had to go days having only little amounts of food; sometimes one meal a day. They were given lots of fluids though; this way they would stay hydrated. In addition, Jake had to wear the same clothes for months on end without washing them, or being able to get new ones. Jake, and his unit had to go ninety-six days without being able to take showers, or even sponge offs. They would have to dig holes to use the bathroom in the middle of the desert, using a box, or a bucket to sit on; then they would have to bury everything when they were finished. Having to go through these hardships, and being away from your family at the same time, seems a little overwhelming, for one person to have to experience. Jake said that, “Staying positive, and being focused is what helped me through everyday”. When Jake came home on June 22, 2003, and I got to see him for the first time in seven months; I knew that it was motivation, and determination that brought him home.

Although, Jake wasn’t home for long, I got to see his inner strength, and strong will. In February of 2004, six months after returning home, we woke to a phone call at 04:30 am. It was Jake’s commander stating that he needed to be at the barracks by 05:00 am, for an emergency deployment check. We didn’t think too much of it; this type of thing was almost second nature to him. Before he left, we hugged, kissed, and said “I love you”, and then I went back to bed. The phone rang again around 09:30 am; it was Jake telling me that they were deploying to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to help the United Nations protect the president from rival gangs and corruption. I was not allowed on base to say goodbye to him, and he was not allowed off base either. I felt like my life was being flipped upside down; meanwhile, Jake seemed to be calm and understanding. With his soft-toned voice, he would tell me that everything was fine, and that he wouldn’t be gone long, and not to worry; that it was his job to worry, and that he loved me. At this time we were not married, and Jake was forced to leave all of his possessions in my care. For example, Jake had to give me power of attorney once he got to Haiti, so I could pay his bills, manage his accounts, and make business decisions for him as well as take care of his car. Four months went by before I got the chance to see him again. Jake came home on June 29th 2004. We decided to marry on July 14th of the same year; the deployment made us see how short life is, and how much we truly loved each other. To have to overcome such a sudden deployment in such a short time, and keep focus takes a lot of inner strength, and willingness to achieve. These are two reasons I call Jake my hero.

Soon, Jake found out that his unit (Truck Company) had received orders to go back to Iraq; being so loyal to his unit, and his country, Jake unselfishly volunteered to go back. Despite the fact that it was only one year, and five months after his return from the first deployment, and Jake was filing papers for his honorable discharge. His four year enlistment with the Marine Corps was coming to an end, and we were going back to Kentucky, or, so we thought. On January 16th 2005, Jake’s unit headed back to Iraq. The first phone call I received from him was scary; I could count the mortars landing near him, but it didn’t seem to bother him. On March 23rd 2005, I woke up, and was waiting for a phone call like always, but not like this one though. Jake was calling to tell me that his truck, the one he was driving, was hit with two IED’s (improvised explosive devices); these cause significant damage to anything in their path. Because of this, Jake’s truck had all four tires blown out with significant damage done to the driver side windshield, and the driver’s door. He said he had a small cut, and a small concussion, but would be fine. When the truck was hit, Jake’s first thought was to see that the other marines in the truck would be safe. In doing so, Jake maneuvered the vehicle out of the kill zone ensuring the safety of other marines that were in his vehicle. On this day he was awarded the Navy and Marine Achievement Medal for his professionalism and dedication to his marines and sailors. Lt. Wintz, (Jake’s Lieutenant) stated that “Jake’s initiative, perseverance, and total devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself.” To me, this makes him a hero, my hero, someone I can look up to, and be proud of, someone who has been brave, and unselfish in his career. My husband had well succeeded any expectations I could have ever wanted in him, and I am proud to say that Jake is my hero.

Jake has been a great achiever with so many accomplishments; the medals and awards of recognition that line our walls prove that to us daily. Jake feels that he was fighting for the country, and the people who live in it. He does not regret any decisions he made during this time, and he feels that the war should be coming to an end, but there is still a lot that needs to be addressed in Iraq. If you were to ask Jake if he thought of himself as a hero, he would have told you no; he did what he thought he was meant to do. If you ask Jake that today, he would say “yes I believe I am a hero,” because he has finally accepted the gratitude that has been put forth from the beginning. Jake is a hero to me for his bravery and motivation as a marine, and his unselfishness, and determination as a human being who has inner strength, and is strong willed.