RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA, US
U. S. Marine Corps
CPL, 2D RECON BN, (1ST MAR DIV, I MEF FWD), CAMP LEJEUNE, NC
03/04/2011, HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
From Robert Stanton, Corporal Stanton’s father:
Joyce and I wanted to speak to all of our friends who have been so concerned for our family and helpful these past weeks. We know how hard it has been on friends and family who are searching for words that can express their thoughts and prayers. We wanted you all to know that the effort of trying – in that act we knew Jordan mattered to so many – has been a great comfort in dealing with his death. Thank you.
Jordan Stanton first expressed interest in the military when he was 15 years old and began researching the different branches. Stanton had looked up to his maternal grandfather Jim Reynolds, a Vietnam veteran, as a hero and an inspiration. And Jordan had also befriended a retired naval captain whom he viewed as a mentor.
“He knew he wanted to do this,” Robert Stanton said. “He wanted to do something special, on his own. He was a little older than his years in high school – he matured a little faster.”
He always had a smile on his face, with a fun-loving personality people couldn’t help but gravitate toward. He was simply an all-American kid full of energy and life.
“He was always incredibly disciplined even before he was in the Marines. He’s someone who knew what he wanted and would do what it took to go get it,” this according to childhood friend Zach Vosough.
But despite his accomplishments, Jordan Stanton was humble, Robert Stanton explained. “It’s the people who are alive and left behind who are Marines out there – or airmen, or soldiers – who really deserve the attention right now.”