Juden

I remember where I was. It was early in the morning, the kids were still asleep, Jimmy and I were still in bed. Jimmy and I kept getting phone calls, we were ignoring them, it was early. I noticed that some of the same people were calling over and over again, so I nudged Jimmy and told him he better answer. I remember almost as fast as him picking up the phone, he dropped it. I knew something was wrong and kept asking 'what's wrong?' 'what is it?', but he just sat there. The 'boys' had just deployed a few months ago, & the fear of injury or losses hadn't made itself present yet. After what Im sure was only a few seconds, but felt much longer, he said 'Juden's gone, he's dead', and he walked into the other room.

I sat there in disbelief, waiting for my brain to process what I had just heard, as sobs from the living room seeped through my bedroom wall. I knew I had to hold it together long enough to offer consoling to Jimmy. I wrapped myself around him and we sobbed together on the couch, as the "I should have been with him's" started coming. 'I should have been there', 'I should have been with him', 'I should have been sitting right next to him', he kept saying. I had to reassure him that God had a purpose for this, though we may not see it now, but I wasn't even sure if I believed that myself at that point.

The hardest part was, the phone calls kept coming in. We got more than 15 phone calls after that with people wanting to make sure Jimmy had heard the news. It seemed like everytime we got a hold of ourselves, the phone would ring. Eventually I just had to answer and say 'we already know, thank you'. I knew that through word of mouth, it would get back to everyone that we'd been notified, and it did. Eventually the phone stopped ringing. We called those we knew wouldn't be notified right away, those we knew would want to know. That was hard.

Tyler and Jimmy were partners on their deployment to Afghanistan from 07-08. They went to basic training together, AIT together, and tried out for the sniper section together. They went to sniper school together, passed together, deployed together, and, came back together.

I remember talking to him as I said goodbye to Jimmy in the parking lot, where the buses were parked to take them to green ramp. I told him to take care of eachother. I remember he kind of nudged my shoulder and said, 'dont worry, I wont let anything happen to this guy', and he didn't. I have heard many stories where one was responsible for getting the other out alive. I was always so grateful for that, to know that Jimmy had someone there watching his back.

One of the many times Tyler spent the night on our couch, I felt the need to tell him thank you. Though I had said to him several times before 'thank you', I had never really elaborated. I told him I knew that he was partly responsible for bringing Jimmy back, I told him that I was so appreciative and grateful. He said 'hey, I wouldn't have wanted to be out there with anyone else', and I had to tell him that I was serious, I took to heart what he did and I wanted him to know how thankful I was. He just smiled, hung his head a second, then looked up at me and said in a very somber tone, 'you're welcome'.

I grabbed him some blankets & pillows, got the cup of water he asked for, and headed back upstairs. I never thought that would be one of the last times we'd talk. One of the last times I'd see him.

Juden was a great man, a great sniper, a great soldier, and a good friend to mine. He touched so many people, and we miss him so. On this day, the anniversary of his passing, we remember his life, and those he touched. People like Jimmy and I, who will never forget his sacrafice. We will never forget what he stood for, what he lived for, and what he died for. We are forever grateful to him and the ultimate sacrafice he paid for our freedom.

We love you and miss you. We will never forget.

'Sgt. Tyler A. Juden, 23,  from Winfield Kansas, KIA September 12, 2009 in Operation Enduring Freedom. US Army, 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Juden died in Turan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fires. '

UNTIL THEY ALL COME HOME. HOOAH.