Local Soldier Killed During Second Duty In IraqPOSTED: 4:22 pm EDT April 6,
2007 A soldier from Westmoreland County was killed in the line of duty while fighting in Iraq.Friends of Cpl. Jason Shaffer, 28, of Derry, said he was a scout on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he died.Details of his death were not immediately released.Shaffer's parents, who now live in Virginia, called and told his friends the bad news.Shaffer's friends said the military put his life on the right track.They said he had a successful first tour where none of his men were killed, but he told them the second tour was much more dangerous, and he was ready to come home.Shaffer graduated from Derry High School in 1997, and after years of unsuccessful attempts to find work as a police officer, he enlisted in the U.S. Army."Kind of happy in a sense, because he had a goal," said friend Tim Kunkle. "I felt for a while, his life was kind of stagnant here."Friends and family said Shaffer was proud of his first tour. They said he was a newlywed and was looking forward to spending time with his wife, who moved to Oregon.They said his second tour was much different. Shaffer's unit, the 1st Calvary, went without running water for weeks, friends said."He said the letters I got from him, he said it was nothing like the first tour," said friend Jim Lewis. "He said it got a lot more dangerous. With the second tour and him losing some very close friends early on, he wanted out of there. He wanted to come home."Shaffer's friends said life will be very different without him. To them, he is a hero, and so are all of the men and women who are fighting for freedom. Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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