HAGER CITY, WI, USA U.S. Army SFC, COMPANY E, 725TH BRIGADE SUPPORT BATTALION, 4 BCT, FORT RICHARDSON, AK ISKANDARIYA, IRAQ 05/17/2007
Sergeant First Class Jesse Albrecht and two other soldiers were killed May 17, 2007 when a an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in, Iskandariya Iraq. SFC Albrecht was assigned to the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Thirty-one year old Jesse, was born in River Falls and raised in Hager City, Wisconsin. He served as a motor transport operator. He joined the Army in June 1993 as a high school junior and was assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska in September 2005. He was less than eight years from retirement. He had well-laid-out plans for life after his military service, and he enjoyed sitting around at night with his fellow soldiers chatting about golf and what courses they’d play when they returned from military service. He had built a house in Alaska with his new wife, Crystal and his eleven-year olf daughter Salena from his first marriage. Crystal had plans to attend school to become a doctor and he had planned to become an Army recruiter. Jesse had visited his family in Wisconsin on his way through to Alaska. Once in Alaska training missions and operations kept him very busy, but Jesse kept in close contact with his Wisconsin family and talked them often.
Family note that Jesse would brighten up a room with his smile. Jesse graduated from Prescott High School in 1994 and wrestled in high school. He enjoyed competitive pursuits as well as snowboarding, fishing, snowmobiling and riding ATVs. His fellow soldiers said he was one of the first to participate in platoon outings that were scheduled most weekends, including paint ball and even ice hockey, and also enjoyed playing cards, even though he couldn’t bluff a 3-year-old in a poker game.
Even through her concern for his safety, Jesse’s mother knew that her son loved his role of service to his country. He would say, “Mom, it’s my job. You go to work in a factory, and I work for the government. It’s my job.”