Captain remembered for protecting his soldiers

By Brent Champaco | The News Tribune • Published September 27, 2007

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Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen fought for his Fort Lewis soldiers, who looked up to him as if he were Superman or a shepherd watching over a flock.

He trained them, allowed them to stay at his house during down times, even made them watch the TV show "Sex and the City" so they'd know how to approach women.

The Damascus, Ore., native protected his soldiers until his last day of combat May 7. He was shot in the neck in Baqouba, Iraq, while trying to help a fellow soldier who was pinned behind a vehicle after a bomb blast.

Four months later, he died in a Seattle hospital. Doctors and family reportedly followed his wishes and turned off life support.

Jensen, 27, was a member of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He was the 48th and final casualty from the Stryker brigade's just-completed 15-month deployment.

He was also the first and only officer to die in combat during the brigade's two tours in Iraq since 2003 — a combined 27 months. He commanded the mortar platoon of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment. Jensen leaves his wife of a little more than a year, a grieving family and thousands of Fort Lewis soldiers who grew to count on him.

On Wednesday, some of them joined the family during a standing-room-only memorial service at the post's main chapel.

"He, like no one else, protected his values," said Capt. Sean Nolan, who first met Jensen during their training at Fort Benning, Ga.

Despite a 10-hour operation in Germany to stabilize his spine and fuse his vertebrae, Jensen's injury left him a quadriplegic and dependent on a breathing tube. He was transferred to Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., then to the Veterans Affairs hospital in Seattle on June 1.

Jensen's wife, Stacia, and other family members reportedly spent nearly 24 hours a day with him, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. At one point, doctors allowed him to swallow water and adjusted his ventilator so he could use his own voice when he spoke. He died Sept. 7, three weeks before his 28th birthday.

His family has set up the Drew Jensen Memorial Fund, which will provide college scholarships for future leaders. Contributions can be made through the Oregon Community Foundation at www.ocf1.org.