Jeremy was always competitive by nature. The thing about him though was he wasn't an A-hole if he lost...hmmm...what's a better word!?! He wasn't a sore loser in other words. He didn't really always compete to necessarily prove he was the best, but to challenge others to become better...better than they thought they could be, and sometimes it was in turn push him to beyond limits he thought he had already reached.

For example, he had therecord of the most sit-ups at one point in time, till CDT Leonani Bowman decided one day she was going to beat him. She didn't tell him she was working on it, she just did it! Shocked him too...he didn't even see it coming! I remember one of his boys asking me what his training was like outside of ROTC. What did Jeremy do to run so fast. As far as I knew he ate hamburger helper and played video games if he wasn't studying!

I informed Jeremy that some of the guys are working real hard to run faster than him...he had this bewildered look on his face when it hits him he said, "No wonder they've been getting faster! It pisses me off some mornings because they're make me run a lot faster than I actually want to!" Then he'd laugh because running to him was easy to maintain. He didn't really do anything extra.

When it came to him and I, we had a lot in common. Shooting perhaps was something we equally loved to do...so much that rather than actually shoot together, we shot against each other. We had a bet during one of our ROTC M16 ranges...him being trained as a sniper and me being a top shooter for the OIA, it was only natural that everyone wanted to see who was better. Well, it was raining that day. He shot first, and I when I got my score of 28...I knew I was done for. As I walked into the cleaning area...everyone was quiet. He looked at me and asks, "So...what'd you shoot?" I was like, "Doesn't matter, you won, the rain was throwing me off...blah blah blah, I shot a 28!" Everyone started laughing...because he shot a 27! He was never a sore loser though, if anyone beat him in anything he thought it was awesome. And he never quit...even though I commissioned 5 months before him, he told me he would beat me to making CPT! He sure had a sense of humor.

Jer was a very loving Husband. He was my dearest friend and truest companion. Writing this brings a stream of tears to my eyes that I don't think will ever completely dry up. I'd like to thank all of you for sharing your thoughts and extending your love to myself, our family, and mainly to Jeremy for the ultimate sacrifice he has given to us, and our great country. Many of you who have served with Jer have touched down on what an outstanding leader he was. I definitely agree, with both of us being dual service I have also had the privilege to serve along side him. He not only filled the role of a husband to me, but he was many other things. He was my motivation, a dedicated trainer, and he inspired me to excel in the things that I loved to do, both in the Army and outside of it.

Jer also had a very charming personality to go along with his adorable smile and those 2 big dimples that he often tried to hide. He had an odd sense of humor that was very entertaining, and you could not help but laugh with him when he got started up on something. I had some friends tell me that they thought we were an odd couple. They saw Jer as a professional, serious, detailed, and a straight forward kind of guy. They saw me as just plain goofy. It wasn't until they got to know him better that they realized he was just as goofy as I was, if not more!

Jer had a love for life, collecting coins, movies, music, shooting, scuba diving, electronics, games, learning and anything you could do outdoors. He loved his family, and he loved his friends, but he had a passion for flying. In my heart, I know Jer has a new pair of solo wings now. I also know he is flying higher than he could have dreamed possible. Honey, I love you, and I always will. Your memory will stay with me always, and I want to thank you for the 4 and 1/2 years of love and support that you have given me. You have made an impact in my life and the lives of many others. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

"RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY"" - Christine Wolfe, wife of Jeremy

Starting to write something like this is never easy—how do you take a few words and sentences and tell people about a whole life and how amazing a person was. How do you decide what memories to include or not include when they all seem so precious because they are what you have left?

Many people only knew Jeremy as a very dedicated serious person in both his education and work. Those of us who knew him in a more personal way knew a very different person. Don’t get me wrong, Jer was extremely serious and driven but he also had an amazing sense of humor. He was fiercely protective and extremely caring with those close to him. Growing up, Jer and I were like any siblings and had our share of arguments but we did get along the majority of the time.

Even when we were kids, Jer had an “army” mind. I can still walk in the field behind my parent’s house today and find the sheets of black plastic that we used to cover our many fox holes that we had dug in the ground while playing. I also remember us walking through the field and woods with a shovel filling them in after our parents’ realized just how many there were. I am extremely ticklish and one of Jer’s favorite past times was tickling me until I was literally gasping for air—he never did grow out of finding amusement with that.

We grew apart as he moved around for training but I did write him often, and he saved most of those letters—apparently he was sentimental as well. As we got older, Jer became one of my best friends. We talked regularly—often daily. I always knew that no matter what was going on in my life, happy or sad, Jer was there. I could call him at 3 in the morning crying so hard I couldn’t even speak and he would calmly talk me through it.

He always believed in me, even during the times that I had stopped believing in myself. His niece and nephew adored him and Jeremy took great pride in that. He made Christmas and birthdays so fun for them as he always took much time to find just the “right” presents for them. I was always amazed at how well Jeremy handled the kids and how much he participated in their lives whenever he had the opportunity. On one of Jer’s visits home, I was extremely sick and he who had no experience with children immediately offered to go pick up my one and two year old from da ycare—anyone who has ever dealt with a child car seat knows this harder than it sounds. He also ran to the store to get me juice and ginger ale. He handled those kids like a pro and never uttered a word about being worried that I would get him sick. Another time when Devon was five, we visited Jer for a week and Jer managed to teach him how to swim in that short amount of time. It seemed like whatever he set his mind to do, he could accomplish.

Jeremy wasn’t afraid to show or tell you that he loved you. He told me at the end of every conversation we had. If any of you had the opportunity to see him with Christine, you most likely saw it as well. I used to love to watch him look at her because you could tell how much he loved her just by the way that he looked at her.

Jer came home to visit me right before he left for Iraq. I had just graduated from college and he said he brought a present for me. He kept talking about how badly I needed a new printer for my computer and led me to believe that was my gift. Imagine my surprise when he handed me a small jewelry box…inside was a quarter carat diamond heart. You can imagine how much it means to me to have this rather than a printer now.

One of my best memories from that trip was the night we went out on the town together. We had gone to a demolition derby and after it was over came up on a truck pulled to the side of the road. Jer stopped to see if he could help and found out the truck was overheating, he offered to follow them all the way home—which we did. Later when we were out, I remember him standing across from me looking at me with this huge grin on his face….when I am sad, I think of that look and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. I know that I am a much stronger person today because of having Jer in my life. One of the most important things that he taught me was to have dreams and goals because without them, you don’t have much.

Flying helicopters was Jeremy’s dream and he knew the risks but he also believed that accomplishing his dream was worth the risk. I have to admit that I haven’t gone back to Jer’s grave since the day we buried him, I just can’t seem to face it. They say it gets easier with time but if I stop and think about it, the pain still hits me so badly that I can’t breathe. I do know though, that its okay because Jeremy is not there….Jeremy is with Christine as she is doing her drills and shooting her weapons, Jeremy is sitting with Cara on the floor as she plays with her toys, Jeremy is running alongside Devon on the football field laughing because Devon is wearing Jer’s Disturbed t-shirt over his pads, and sometimes I’ll be standing with a group of people and say something that is completely Jeremy and not something I would have ever said, and know that Jeremy is there with me. In our hearts and in our minds, he is very much alive.

- Sharla Utpadel, sister of Jeremy