Army Special Forces Sergeant Jason Palmerton of Auburn was killed Sunday when his unit was attacked by insurgents in southwestern Afghanistan. Sergeant Palmerton will be remembered for his bravery as a soldier and for his spirit as a person.

When 25 year old Palmerton joined the Army three years ago he was looking for direction, "He thought he could help the Army and they could help him so one day he up and joined. He signed up to be a Green Beret and he went after it," says his sister Amanda.

Amanda says Jason's life was coming together; he'd accomplished his goal of becoming a Green Beret and found the love of his life Shelly, who he planned to marry when he returned from Afghanistan.

"He had a direction and found someone special and he was ready to go on with the rest of his life," said Amanda.

Jason's promising life was cut short when his unit came under attack by insurgents. Amanda's fiancé' told her the news.

"He came in and sat me down and said he'd been shot and I don't really remember what happened for 30-minutes after that," said Amanda.
Gary and Kathy Ensz's son "Andrew" is Jason's best friend, and is serving in the Peace Corp in Armenia. Andrew received the news via e-mail. They say Andrew was devastated by the news.

"His reaction was that it's the toughest day of his life and he's had some tough days as he said this in his email: "It's an honor to call Jason my brother, we may not have spoken often but my heart and soul were connected to him are forever with him," said Gary.

For Amanda it's Jason's sense of humor and good spirit she'll miss the most. "He made everyone laugh, when you spoke to him you were charmed by him two hours after you met him. He was always so wonderful," said Amanda.

Making a family's pain and a soldier's sacrifice all that much more difficult to comprehend.