R.I.P. Staff Sgt. Richard J. Jordan

Army Staff Sgt. Richard J. Jordan
Died March 16, 2010 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

29, of Tyler, Texas; assigned to 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died March 16 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.

(The following was taken from www.lansingstatejournal.com of Mar. 20, 2010) HARRISON TWP. - Family members of a 29-year-old Fort Bliss, Texas, soldier with ties to Michigan who died after a vehicle rollover while serving in Iraq said Friday they hope that the U.S. can soon end the war.

Family of Staff Sgt. Richard J. Jordan held a news conference in Macomb County's Harrison Township, where he lived with his 26-year-old wife, Jennifer.

She told reporters she wants "all our troops to come home" safely.

"I don't want another wife, another mom and dad, another brother to go through this," she said.

The soldier's parents, Richard and Kimberly Jordan of New Boston, agreed.

"We don't want to see any more troops coming home in a box," Richard Jordan said. "This is the most devastating experience I've had."

The Defense Department said Jordan died Tuesday of his injuries from the crash in Mosul. The agency listed a hometown of Tyler, Texas, but his family said he had been an Army recruiter in Detroit before going to Iraq.

As a recruiter, he was not required to deploy to Iraq but volunteered to do so to make a contribution for his country, The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reported. He left for Iraq in November.

"He loved being in the Army," his father said. "That was his life."

Richard Jordan had two daughters, ages 9 and 2.

"He had an infectious smile," his sister-in-law, Carin Poole told The Detroit News on Thursday. "He was loving, fun and kind."