BEDFORD, TX, USA U.S. Army SGT, TROOP A, 6TH SQUADRON, 9TH CAVALRY, FORT HOOD, TX ABU SAYDA, IRAQ 05/29/2007
Army Sergeant Jonathan Markham was twenty-two years old when he died on May 29, 2007 of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted position. The Bedford, Texas resident was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He was participating in combat operations in Sayda, Iraq. He was on his second Iraq tour.
Jonathan loved ordering flowers for his wife’s birthday. An act of love was what observers called it. Other acts of love included helping to put his wife though college and enjoying the birth of his son Daniel. He would have liked to be a stay-at-home Dad for a while just so he could have enjoyed Daniel.
Jonathan had served on a burial detail at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery and those who knew him respected his strong internal drive and highly competitive spirit even during the execution of this heavy assignment.
Jonathan was born in Manitowoc on March 2, 1985. He spent the first two years of his life in Manitowoc. His stepfather, who served in the U.S. Army, moved the family to Germany, where they were stationed and then moved to Arizona and Texas. Jonathan was a 2003 high school graduate and joined the Army in May 2004 as a Cavalry Scout and had been assigned to the squadron since September 2005. He deployed to Iraq in October 2006. Jonathan had earned the rank of sergeant, but he was not scheduled to officially receive the rank until he returned to the U.S.
Jonathan Markham’s awards included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism (Service) Medal, Global War on Terrorism (Expeditionary) Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge.
Sergeant Markham is survived by his wife, Stacey; son, Daniel; mother, Dawn Markham; stepfather, Steve Bryan, and his wife, Kelly; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Alex and Cindy Aguayo; four sisters; five grandparents; one great-grandmother; 11 uncles; six aunts and numerous cousins.
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