Army Sgt Shay was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. He was returning from a mission when his armored combat vehicle rolled over and fell 60 feet from a bridge. Jordan grew up in a close knit neighborhood where everybody watched out for everybody else's kids. Neighbors remember when Jordan's dad would walk the neighborhood with him on his back in one of those papoose contraptions. But at the age of 2 years, he lost his dad to brain cancer. He graduated from Amesbury High School in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 2005 and then enlisted in the Army in 2006. He was serving his second tour of duty and had been deployed on this tour just last month. Jordan enjoyed hiking, scuba diving, sailing and golfing. He loved music and made the transformation from the "dark ages" of black clothes and angry heavy metal screeds, into the laid-back world of Jimmy Buffett and his universe of "parrotheads". He was also a huge Red Sox fan. But Jordan was also an accomplished writer and was always reading. Shortly before he returned to Iraq on his second tour, he started writing a blog entitled, "Through Amber Lenses". It was just 16 posts but powerful reading – it captured what it was like to be in Baquba. Now Jordan's mom, Holly, is forced to deal with the death of her only child. Even in her time of extraordinary grief, she is forever indebted to the members of his platoon who took care to recover Jordan's body, hold his hand and stay with him following the accident until help arrived.
Army Sgt Shay was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. He was returning from a mission when his armored combat vehicle rolled over and fell 60 feet from a bridge. Jordan grew up in a close knit neighborhood where everybody watched out for everybody else's kids. Neighbors remember when Jordan's dad would walk the neighborhood with him on his back in one of those papoose contraptions. But at the age of 2 years, he lost his dad to brain cancer. He graduated from Amesbury High School in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 2005 and then enlisted in the Army in 2006. He was serving his second tour of duty and had been deployed on this tour just last month. Jordan enjoyed hiking, scuba diving, sailing and golfing. He loved music and made the transformation from the "dark ages" of black clothes and angry heavy metal screeds, into the laid-back world of Jimmy Buffett and his universe of "parrotheads". He was also a huge Red Sox fan. But Jordan was also an accomplished writer and was always reading. Shortly before he returned to Iraq on his second tour, he started writing a blog entitled, "Through Amber Lenses". It was just 16 posts but powerful reading – it captured what it was like to be in Baquba. Now Jordan's mom, Holly, is forced to deal with the death of her only child. Even in her time of extraordinary grief, she is forever indebted to the members of his platoon who took care to recover Jordan's body, hold his hand and stay with him following the accident until help arrived.
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