By Jill Stephenson.
Army PFC Jon Townsend of Claremore was killed September 16, 2012 while actively serving in Afghanistan. He was 19 and left behind a wife and many loving family members and friends. One of those family members was his sister Jennifer, who was six years older than Jon. I interviewed her for this article.
Before Jon started school it was clear he was smart and patriotic. He could recite the pledge of allegiance, sing Amazing Grace and knew his multiplication tables. He was actively involved in 4H where he won numerous awards and was influenced by a band teacher to play almost any instrument he picked up, including the trumpet, drums and guitar.
As a young boy, one of Jon’s heroes was the tv character, “ Walker, Texas Ranger”. He admired his heroism in fighting bad guys and saving good girls. According to Jennifer, he would also walk around in a beat up cowboy hat and kick things like a cowboy would. Jennifer said she would call him Noj just to annoy him and that many people called him Jon Ross.
Jon was actively involved in his church and enjoyed sharing his faith with others. He was a talented musician and tutored other kids in his band class. He also played football during high school and was seen playing with the band while wearing his football uniform. Days after graduating from Sequoyah High School in May of 2011, Jon left for bootcamp.
While overseas, he took to the children and asked his family to send candy and wet wipes for them. He said he wanted them to know he was a good guy. Before Jon left for his deployment he married his sweetheart and made a video to watch in the event of his death. He had also been mentoring several youth from local churches. They would meet in a peaceful spot overlooking Claremore Lake where they shared personal issues with him they didn’t feel comfortable talking about in church. After Jon was killed, his family collaborated with his friends to create a memorial in that place to honor him. Jennifer remarked that to this day, it is the place where she feels the closest to him. In December of 2015, a one mile section of highway 88 between Oologah and Jon’s church was dedicated as the PFC Jon Ross Townsend Memorial Highway. Jennifer drives by this often and says it makes her feel good that people still place memorial items there in his honor. She would like people to know that Jon believed in what he was doing. He was there to share God’s word and to help people that couldn’t help themselves. He led several of his fellow soldiers to God. They called him, “God’s soldier” and “Preacher Boy.” After his death, one of the wives of his brothers in arms had a patch made that said “God’s Soldier” on it. They wore them under a flap on their uniform in his honor.
I asked Jennifer why she thinks it’s important for the public to know about our fallen heroes. She said there are many reasons. They gave the ultimate sacrifice – not just for those they know, but for people they never met, for the possibility and hope for a better life, and to know that what they’ve done will make a difference.
To keep his memory alive, Jennifer still talks about her brother to her children. She reminisced of the great hugs he gave and said her son now gives her the same kind. Her son was four and oldest daughter was two when Jon died. She has since had another daughter. She has been honest about what happened to him and shared with them that Jon loved God and his family and friends and he died serving his country. If he was still here he would do it all over again.
Jennifer stated that Jon grew up without a dad and believes this is why he made the switch with a fellow soldier the night he died. Jon said to him, “You need to be able to stay in and get some rest and call your kids. I’ll take your turn and you can take mine later.” He saw the importance of being a father because he grew up without one. He would pay with his life so children he never knew would still have a father.
PFC Jon Ross Townsend is laid to rest next to his grandfather, who was his father figure, at Lone Chapel Cemetery in Pryor. He is loved and missed every day. •
story by Jill Stephenson, Gold Star Mother.
