R.I.P. Sgt. Jason A. McLeod

Name: Army Spc. Jason A. McLeod

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Age: 22

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From: Crystal Lake, Ill.

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Assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Spc. Jason A. McLeod died Nov. 23, west of Pashmul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with mortar fire.

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Died: November 23, 2009

(Taken from www.nwherald.com of Dec. 4) CRYSTAL LAKE – Justin McLeod was in the basement when he saw his mother crying and two soldiers at the door.

They didn't need to say a word for him to know that his little brother, Jason, had been killed.

Sgt. Jason McLeod, 22, of Crystal Lake, was remembered by hundreds on Friday as a hero with full military honors after being killed Nov. 23 in Afghanistan. It was his second deployment; he had been in Iraq in 2007.

The procession from Davenport Family Funeral Home in Crystal Lake to Windridge Memorial Park Cemetery in Cary stretched more than a mile. Many people lined the route, holding American flags and saluting the hearse as it drove by.

Traffic along the way came to a standstill, and hundreds of students stood outside Cary-Grove High School.

Signs in front of businesses listing special deals and prices had been changed out with messages such as "In honor of Sgt. Jason McLeod" and "God Bless Sgt. McLeod."

At the cemetery, McLeod was honored with a 21-gun salute and his wife, Aimee, was presented with the flag that draped his casket.

Gov. Pat Quinn was one of two speakers addressing the packed funeral home, where it became standing room only.

"There are no words in English, Spanish or any other language to relieve the pain of losing someone so special,” Quinn said. “I think today in Illinois, in this land of Lincoln of 13 million people, we have to pause and thank God for the life of Jason McLeod.”

The word "hero" often is tossed around, he said, but McLeod was a true American hero.

"Service to others is the rent we pay for our place on God's green earth," he said. "The best way to remember Jason is through service to others."

A friend of more than 15 years, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Cannon, also spoke, remembering "rat tails to fireworks and many things in between."

When he was younger, McLeod had a rat-tail hairstyle down to his belt buckle, friends said with a smile.

"Jason was like a vibrant, shining star wherever he went," Cannon said.

Four soldiers who served with McLeod during his first deployment attended the ceremony. Two of them also were serving in Afghanistan when McLeod was killed and will have to return there.

Spc. Paul Case, who was deployed to Iraq with McLeod, said he felt agony and disbelief when he heard the news. He remembered McLeod as a devoted husband.

"He would always talk about his wife," Case said. "He was a good guy, a shoulder to cry on."

Cpl. Kevin Hansen also served with McLeod in Iraq.

"I still can't believe it," he said. "It could have been any of us."

McLeod was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Carson, Colo.

Donations to an education fund for McLeod’s 15-month-old daughter can be made to Jocelyn McLeod, c/o Citi­bank, Attn: Marie Davis, 225 W. Virginia St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014.