There are no words

I’ve always thought my son was a special kid. At a young age, he was gentle, kind, considerate and loving. He had a youthful innocence about him that he has to this day. I wanted to see him through to adulthood, so that I would have the peace of mind in knowing that he would be okay in this complex and dangerous world we live in. I wanted to know that if need be, he could get by without me. My son, Tyler, is 22 years old - The same age as Jake Robert Velloza, whose pictures are above - Jake was also described as having a youthful innocence about him.

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I went into the kitchen at work for another cup of coffee. The May 5th Press Democrat was laying on the table and Jakes picture on the front page caught my eye.

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The following is taken from one of my first posts:

The movie Saving Private Ryan, was about a family with 4 sons serving in the military during World War II. One scene shows the Ryan home with a 4 star service banner in the window. I’m sure the significance of the banner was lost on many viewers. The banners were common during the war, with the number of blue stars indicating how many family members were serving in the military. A gold star would indicate that the member had been killed serving their country. For obvious reasons, very few families had a 4 star banner.There is lots of action & drama in this movie. But for me, the most dramatic part was when Mrs. Ryan was washing dishes at the kitchen sink and looked out her window to see a dark car approaching up the quiet country road. She dries her hands and goes out to the front porch. The car stops in front of her house and a clergyman gets out. At that point, she realizes that he is bringing bad news and slumps to the floor.
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From the Press Democrat report: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090504/ARTICLES/905049886
Inverness soldier killed in Iraq - By LAURA NORTON

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT - Published: Monday, May 4, 2009

Jake Robert Velloza, an Army soldier from Inverness, asked his friends last Monday for their home addresses so he could send out wedding announcements.
“If you want a wedding announcement, either send me or Danielle your information in a message. Thanks,” the 22-year-old infantry man wrote on his Facebook page.
Five days later, he was dead. Velloza was killed Saturday in Mosul, Iraq, relatives said.
The soldier’s parents, Bob and Susan Velloza, received notification of their son’s death early Sunday from an Army major from Travis Air Force Base who came to their Inverness home, said the grandfather, Richard Velloza.
A Tomales High School football and baseball star, Velloza was popular on and off the sports field, Tomales High football coach Leon Feliciano said.
…
“I’ll always remember on a bridge near Nicasio, there was a sign ‘Welcome Home Jake’ after his first tour in Iraq. Then he re-upped,” Tucker said.
Velloza wrote about the Army when he described himself on his Facebook page: “I’m currently in Iraq for my 2nd tour; I’ll be home sometime in Dec. I have the most amazing fiancee anyone could ask for. She gets me through my days and I can’t wait to come home to her,” Velloza said.
Friend Jeffrey Hickey said preparing for marriage had transformed Velloza, a guy’s guy who raided the fridge, played video games and loved being outdoors.
“He shared with me his hope and desire to one day fall in love. I realized this hope was at the very core of what made Jake so sweet and fun,” Hickey wrote in a letter to the local press Monday.
Of Velloza’s fiancee, who he named on Facebook as Danielle Erwin of Evansville, Ind., “it was obvious that Jake had found what he was looking for,” Hickey said. “It was also obvious how much he wanted to get home and be with her.”

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An ABC News report showed the following image as the reporter described the “All American house with a Blue Star in the window”

The Press Democrat reported on the funeral: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090513/ARTICLES/905139909#

A military honor guard lifts the casket as the body of Jake Robert Velloza, a 22-year-old Army infantryman from Inverness arrives at Parent-Sorenson Mortuary in Petaluma. Velloza was killed May 2 on Mosul, Iraq.

KENT PORTER / The Press Democrat -

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090513/COMMUNITY/905139900
Marin soldier's remains escorted to Petaluma
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“His mother and father, Bob and Susan Velloza, and his fiancee, Danielle Erwin of Evansville, Ind., held one another and cried outside Parent-Sorensen Mortuary as an Army color guard lifted the flag-draped coffin from a hearse to the strains of bagpipe music and carried it away.”

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And now, the Blue Star Banner will be replaced with a Gold Star Banner.

I read the news reports online and read the comments & sentiments posted by other readers. I was going to leave a message to Jakes fiance, his folks & his grandparents. As a total stranger, I searched for words that would have meaning and offer comfort to all of them. But they never came. There are no words that I could offer that would make the pain less.

On this Memorial Day, please take just a minute to honor Jake during the playing of Taps by clicking here:
Click here to listen to a sound file of Taps performed by SGM Woody English, U.S. Army Band, playing on a B flat Bach Stradivarius Field Trumpet (bugle)

Jake Robert Velloza
Rest in Peace