Douglas DesJardins laid to rest

SCIO — When U.S. Army Spc. Doug DesJardins was a young boy growing up in Scio, he got a child-sized “Knight Rider” car for Christmas one year.

His uncle, John Thomas, said that began DesJardins’ fascination with driving. It ultimately led to him driving a tank in the Army in Iraq. He was killed by an explosive device while driving that tank Nov. 5 near Ar Ramadi.

DesJardins, 25, was laid to rest Thursday at Miller Cemetery outside Scio, following a funeral at Scio Baptist Church. About 300 attended the funeral, said John Johnson of Huston-Jost Funeral Home.

Thomas spoke for DesJardins’ family at the funeral. Like everyone else who spoke about him, Thomas said that DesJardins always had a quick wit — even as a young child.

“When he was 4 years old, his mom saw that he had his shoes on the wrong feet,” Thomas recalled. “He said, ‘But Mama, these are the only feet I have.’”

Thomas also spoke of DesJardins’ faith, saying that he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior when he was 7 years old. “He told his mom once, ‘I don’t have flashy clothes, a flashy car or a flashy place to live, but I’ve never been happier because I have God. And nobody can take that away.’”

Sgt. 1st Class Erik Lohof said DesJardins appeared “a little lost” the first time he stood in formation. But he said DesJardins developed into a leader who tried to help other soldiers learn their duties.

“When our company lost our first soldier, (DesJardins) was one of the first to volunteer to go to the site, even though he’d just gotten back from a three-hour patrol,” Lohof said. “He was dedicated. He had a lot of friends, and he made a good impression on everybody.”

DesJardins was born in Mesa, Ariz. He moved to Scio with his mother when he was a boy, and he went through school here. But he stayed close to his dad in Arizona, and enlisted into the Army through the Tempe recruiting office.

Lohof said DesJardins was passionate about driving his tank, which he named “Chuck Norris.” Brigadier General William Troy said the tank driver is at the most risk inside the tank, “but DJ carried out his duties to create freedom to maneuver. He understood the hazards, and it did not keep him from coming to someone’s aid. He never questioned his mission — he performed his duties faithfully.”

Everyone who knew DesJardins said he was a jokester. Lohof said DesJardins forgot to pay for beer in Germany once, and his platoon sergeant had to cover the bill. “He was quick to repay his sergeant,” Lohof said.

After the funeral, Lisa Zelenka of Scio said she grew up with him and his younger siblings, Michael and Rachel. “He’d always come up with something off-the-wall at the oddest times,” she said. “He always had some smart remark to make, but he could always make people happy, whoever was around him.”

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who attends every funeral of a fallen Oregon soldier from Iraq, said DesJardins’ name has been added to the state’s new memorial for the 73 Oregon soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He died in service to our state and nation,” Kulongoski said. “He was in the 1st Armored Division, which has been known since World War II as ‘Old Ironsides.’ He was a soldier, the best Oregon has to give.”

DesJardins was given a full military burial at Miller Cemetery, including a 21-gun salute, following the funeral. The flag that draped his wooden coffin went to his mother, Cindy Surprenant. A second flag went to his father, Douglas DesJardins.

Pastor Bill Conn of Scio Baptist Church officiated the funeral and burial. He spoke of God’s compassion at the funeral, quoting from John 14 in the Bible, and he recited lyrics from the song “Praise You in the Storm” by the Christian band Casting Crowns at the burial.

From the Democrat Herald

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