Always Remembered and Honoured Specialist Jacob D. Barton

Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo. He was assigned to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, Waco, Texas

U.S. Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, was one of five soliders killed when a fellow soldier opened fire at the Medical Treatment Facility in Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city’s international airport.

PFC Jacob Barton was a member of the 955th Engineer Co., a reserve unit, stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, which was activated to support the 277th Engineer Co. of San Antonio, Texas, for deployment out of Fort Bliss, Texas.
Barton, who grew up here and graduated last spring from Rolla High School, was living at his grandmother’s in Lenox during his senior year because of his mother’s illness and hospitalization. His mother, Mary Coleman, died in February 2008.

However, Barton already had begun serving in the U.S. Army Reserves. Through the delayed-entry program, he was serving weekends during his senior year of high school at Rolla High.

According to Barton’s friend, Johnathan Peterson, 17, the Army was a bright spot in the young soldier’s life. “He was really glad he was serving his country. He was excited, thrilled,” Peterson recalled Wednesday.
While some family members and friends described Barton as a “loner,” Peterson said a more apt description was ‘shy.’

“He was very kind-hearted. He was the kind of person who’d take his jacket off his own back to keep you dry,” said Peterson.

Rolla High School guidance counselor Kimberly Maskrey agreed. She worked closely with Barton last year after he fell behind in his school work, attributed mostly to his mother’s illness and death.

“He was really focused on graduating on time to be able to enter the military,” she said. “But he also liked helping his family. He loved his grandmother, and I think he worried about her. He would get up early last winter to bring in wood for the fire before going to school.”

“He was a very likable young man,” Maskrey continued. “Jacob knew what needed to be done and did it. This was tough news to take. He’ll be missed by many. This is a tragic loss for Rolla High School,” Maskery said.

Rose Coleman of Lenox, Barton’s maternal grandmother, said her grandson was a hard-working, caring young man who loved “all kinds” of computer games and his family. She said he e-mailed his sister, Hannah, often, and enjoyed playing with her children.

“He sure loved his niece and nephew,” recalled Coleman, her voice choked with emotion. “Jacob was an all-around good guy,” stated Peterson, who said the two friends enjoyed playing computer games, hiking and just ‘hanging out.’

Peterson, formerly of Rolla who now resides in Port St. Lucie, Fla., said he was considering enlisting in the Army, “just like his friend Jacob Barton.”
“He played a key role in my life. He was a great influence,” said Peterson.
Asked what people remember most about Jacob, Peterson answered:
“He’ll be remembered for how he treated you. No matter what, he was there for you.”

Coleman said funeral arrangements would not be finalized until Jacob’s body was returned to the States. On Wednesday, Hannah was traveling to Delware to claim his remains, she said.

PFC Jacob Barton was a member of the 955th Engineer Co., a reserve unit, stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, which was activated to support the 277th Engineer Co. of San Antonio, Texas, for deployment out of Fort Bliss, Texas.
The shooting is under investigation.

“A man’s character is defined by his actions, and Pfc. Jacob Barton, although a young man, is a man we should look to as an example for ourselves and our children ... We are shocked and saddened by his loss, and ask all of you to keep Jacob’s grandmother and sister in your thoughts and prayers,” 46th Engineer Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Matthew Zajac said in a statement released from Baghdad.

Spc Barton is survived by his grandmother Rose Coleman and his sister Hannah, as well as nieces, nephews, and apparently a lot of friends and former teachers who thought the world of him! There is no reference to his Dad. His Mom passed in 2008.

(and more here)

Let us NEVER FORGET.

[This profile courtesy of the Living Legends Team, Soldiers' Angels]