Jason W. Vaughn dies of injuries from I.E.D.

The father of an Iuka soldier who was killed by a bomb while serving in Iraq said his son had a feeling he would die in the conflict.

Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn visited with his family in March while on leave midway through his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Walter Vaughn said his son spent more time than usual with his family during the visit.

"He had an intuition about things and I think he knew what was going to happen. So he spent more time with his mother and family when he was here," Walter Vaughn said. "While we were talking he said he had seen too many things and had too many close calls, and he got the feeling his luck was running out.

"He really didn't want to go back, but he had to go because he had friends over there who needed him."

Jason Vaughn, 29, died from wounds he suffered when the bomb was detonated near his vehicle in Baqubah.

Vaughn was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq with the Stryker Brigade based in Fort Lewis, Wash. He had been in Iraq for 24 months over the last four years and was scheduled to return from deployment in October.

He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Vaughn also visited as many friends as he could and one of his former teachers at Tishomingo County High School, family members said in an article in The Clarion-Ledger.

Alisa Parson, his aunt, said she spent as much time as she could with Vaughn on his most recent visit. She still remembers his last embrace.

"He always greeted me with a smile, a great big hug and a kiss no matter how old he was. Most teenage boys wouldn't have done that but he didn't care," Parson said. "The day before he left he gave me another big hug and said, 'I love Aunt Sissy. I'll see you in December."'

Vaughn was due to return home in December and planned to move to South Carolina to live with friends, his family said.

"If he was your friend, he was very loyal to you. He was the kind of person that would give you the shirt off his back to help you," Parson said.

Along with his parents, Vaughn also leaves behind a stepmother, a brother and three sisters.

From the Sun Herald