Derek Jones killed by bomb

Two weeks ago, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Derek W. Jones of Salem sent his mother an e-mail and told her it was a good day.

Good because his 2-year-old daughter was thriving, and he couldn't wait to see her again when he returned from Iraq. Good because he held on to his memories of Laurie Hadden's trip to see her son last month while he was on leave in Hawaii.

And good because the bomb that landed next to him earlier didn't explode. "No one died that day, so it was a good day," he told her.

But Jones, 21 and a 2003 graduate of Sprague High School, was killed Sunday when another bomb hit the 5-ton truck that carried him and other military personnel returning from a short leave.

"Everybody's in shock," Hadden said Thursday. "We're all just kind of in a daze. Our family is grieving; our community is grieving. It's really hard."

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Two other Marines -- Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Sandvick Monroe, 20, of Chinook, Mont.; and Capt. Robert M. Secher, 33, of Germantown, Tenn. -- were killed in Sunday's blast.

Jones was the 78th member of the military with ties to Oregon and Southwest Washington to die in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan since the war on terror began in 2001. Eight civilian contractors with ties to the state have died in the war, including Craig Johnson of Portland, who was killed this week.

In Salem, the Sprague High community struggled with the loss of Jones. His brother, Chad, is a captain of the school's football team, and the players planned to honor Jones by wearing U.S. flag stickers on their helmets for Thursday night's game against rival McNary High School.

Chad Jones remembered his brother as a kind person who had time for everyone. "He liked to hang out with friends," Chad said. "He was a good guy and a good friend."

His mother said Derek Jones played racquetball in high school and loved basketball.

He and his high school sweetheart, Pamela Petty, eloped to Hawaii and were married last year. They returned to Salem in February 2006 for a large reception, his mother said.

"Everyone was so happy to see him," she recalled. "He was dressed all in his dress blues. I remember thinking how much he'd grown into a man."

His daughter, Madison, "has the same smile that he has, and we feel lucky that we'll have her to remember him by," she said.

Hadden said Jones planned to go to college after his military stint to become an architect. If he was nearby, odds were that he had a pen or pencil in his hand and was drawing.

"He was always good with his hands," she said. "He was just drawing up plans for the house they were going to build one day when they came back to Salem. They were going to continue their family."

Hadden said the family is waiting to hear from the military about when Jones' remains will be flown back to Oregon. Services will be planned after that.

"My last hug with him, my last moment with him, he told me not to worry," Hadden said. "He wanted his mom to know that everything would be OK."

From the Oregonian

Younger Jones Shining in High School Football Game After Older Brother's Death

SALEM - Chad Jones practiced all week with a heavy heart after losing his older brother Derek, a Lance Cpl in the U.S. Marine Corps, from wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq October 8th.

Before the game, fans and players from both Sprague and McNary paid tribute to Jones with a moment of silence.

Both teams carried an American Flag onto the field to honor Oregon and U.S. troops who have died or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jones, a senior, carried the flag for the Olympians.

In the first quarter Jones threw a 34-yard half-back pass that was complete to the 2-yard line.

Then Sprague head coach Robin Hill called Jones number and he scored on a 2-yard run to give Sprague a 14-0 lead.

Jones rushed for another touchdown late in the second quarter to give Sprague a 28-0 lead.

Hill said Jones is a true fighter, and all of us are behind him and his family.

Jones uncle Kary Hadden, is the Sprague varsity wrestling coach, and assistant varsity football coach.

From the Salem News