Jason F Lemke
Date of Death: 01/05/2008
Age: 30
Incident Location: Iraq
Hometown: West Allis
Branch of Service: Army
Unit: 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
Unit Base: Fort Lewis, Washington
Pfc. Jason F. Lemke, 30, of West Allis, Wis., died Saturday from wounds suffered when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Ibrahim Al Adham, the Department of Defense said Monday.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
Lemke, a 1996 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College, enlisted in December 2004 in Milwaukee and underwent training in Fort Benning, Ga. He transferred to Fort Lewis in May 2005 and his brigade deployed to Iraq in April.
“He had a year of intensive training in Arabic language,” said Gregory Lemke of Milwaukee, Jason’s father. The training left him adept enough to surprise an Arabic-speaking shopkeeper at a local shopping center by striking up a friendship in his own language," Lemke said. “I guess he made a big hit with the guy because of his language,” he said, adding that his son also spoke Spanish.
“His grandpa was in the Marines. His uncle was a Marine. My father was in the Army, and my older brother was in the Army,” he said. “So there’s a family service thing there. He wanted to make a mark, I guess.”
Jason Lemke’s awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
Lemke, a 1996 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College, enlisted in December 2004 in Milwaukee and underwent training in Fort Benning, Ga. He transferred to Fort Lewis in May 2005 and his brigade deployed to Iraq in April.
“He had a year of intensive training in Arabic language,” said Gregory Lemke of Milwaukee, Jason’s father. The training left him adept enough to surprise an Arabic-speaking shopkeeper at a local shopping center by striking up a friendship in his own language," Lemke said. “I guess he made a big hit with the guy because of his language,” he said, adding that his son also spoke Spanish.
“His grandpa was in the Marines. His uncle was a Marine. My father was in the Army, and my older brother was in the Army,” he said. “So there’s a family service thing there. He wanted to make a mark, I guess.”
Jason Lemke’s awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.