Posted on 11/29/2003 1:49:19 PM PST by Chummy
Edgerton woman's son earns Bronze Star for heroism in Iraq
(Published Saturday, November 29, 2003 11:53:49 PM CST)
By Brian E. Clark/Gazette Staff
Staff Sgt. Jason Van Kleeck, son of Pam Wahl of rural Edgerton, has earned the Bronze Star for Valor for combat heroism in Iraq. Van Kleeck, 25, attended kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary School in Janesville before moving to Indiana.
Van Kleeck was decorated on Nov. 2 in Karbala. A military policeman with the 101st Airborne Division based in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, he has been in Iraq since February.
"He's supposed to return to the United States in March," said his mother. "At least that's what we are praying for."
In an understated e-mail to his family shortly after an Oct. 16 ambush by about 30 armed gunmen in front of a religious leader's headquarters, Van Kleeck wrote:
"Myself and PFC Bratton were awarded the Bronze Star for Valor. Essentially, we ran into an ambush and saved some guys. Take care all of you. I love you all. And Bratton loves his parents. I could use some mail."
The attackers killed Lt. Col. Kim S. Orlando, the highest-ranking U.S. officer to die in Iraq, as well as a staff sergeant and a corporal. According to reports, Van Kleeck and Bratton suppressed enemy fire, allowing other members of his unit to evacuate two vehicles with wounded soldiers in them.
In an interview with The Indianapolis Star, Van Kleeck said he was "just doing his job."
During the 30-minute firefight, Van Kleeck said bullets were ricocheting around his body and a rocket propelled grenade flew about a foot over his head.
"When it was going on, I wasn't thinking about anything other than what I had to do to take care of the situation," he said. "You are just trying to get your buddies out of the middle of it. All you can think of is 'Those are my buddies.'"
He said he is counting the days until he can return home and does not spend much time thinking about the possibility he might be killed.
"We know the chance is there, but you try not to dwell on it," he said. "You know you're in a dangerous environment, but it's your job. The guys to my left and my right are the best-trained soldiers in the world, and I rely on that."
The son of an Army veteran who served from 1973 to 1989, Van Kleeck joined the military directly out of high school in 1996. In addition to serving as a "hometown recruiter" in Indianapolis, he has been stationed in Panama, Germany, Bosnia and Iraq.
He also escorted prisoners from Afghanistan to Camp X-Ray in Cuba.
Van Kleeck's father, Todd Van Kleeck, and stepmother, Sally Van Kleeck, live in Indianapolis. His stepfather is Rich Wahl of Edgerton.
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