Jesse Melton III, RIP

Remembering my friend

I didn’t know Jesse very well, nor for very long. I believe we served together for maybe three or four months. However, in that short amount of time, he changed my life.

On September 9 2008, the Taliban and Al Qaeda killed CPT Jesse Melton III, 1Lt Nicholas Madrazo, Navy Corpsman Eichman Stickland, and a local national interpreter in the Nijrab Valley, Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. Jesse served as a company team leader with an embedded training team (ETT) responsible for training the Afghan National Army, specifically the 201st Corps.

Jesse was a prototypical Marine, always leading from the front. He was often in the turret, manning the 240B, usually reserved for junior enlisted. On 9 September, Jesse wasn’t supposed to go out. It was his day off. But, always the leader, he replaced a Marine on the mission. Two days later, Jesse was dead, but his Marine’s child was born. His sacrifice ensured that the child had a father.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

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In those three or four months, I learned more about combat leadership from him than anyone else. Although we had both served in Iraq previously, Jesse was an infinitely better leader than me. We were both support specialists (him a comms officer and me an intel weenie), but we both felt at home fighting at the edges of the American empire. He taught me to lead from the front and always be decisive, especially when you have doubts, because doubts create panic, and panic creates death.

Jesse, however, never panicked. Why?

Jesse believed. Not everyone did or does anymore (and who can blame them). But Jesse believed in the mission and was very comfortable giving his life for his men and his country. He was that type of man, leader, and Marine.

Nobody who served in Nijrab in 2008 had any illusions about what faced them. Every time we broke a wire, we all understood it was only a matter of time before our luck ran out.

That’s because, like most Afghan provinces, there was only one way in and one way out of most valleys. So, when Jesse broke wire on 9 September, he didn’t think he would be killed, but he was prepared for it, spiritually at least.

His faith was much stronger than mine, something we talked about frequently. Jesse’s Christian faith kept him resilient, while my Jewish faith kept me questioning everything. Despite our many differences, he liked the Houston Texans (boo), we shared a great friendship. While our troops would get into mischief, Jesse and I often played cards, complained about the food, and tried to figure out a way to extend the reach of the Afghan government into hostile terrain.

Despite all the odds against us, Jesse never doubted our mission. It was contagious and something I desperately needed as a born pessimist.

“Stop complaining in front of your troops, Will. " He would always add, “Nobody wants a leader who doesn’t believe.”

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On 11 September 2008, we conducted a memorial service for him at FOB Nijrab. The ANA and some district government officials attended. Taps were played. Men wept openly. Myself very much included.

Now, twelve years later, there are days I still cannot believe that Jesse is dead. I still miss him and wish he were here right now, giving me some invaluable advice.

May his memory be a blessing.

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Time for a War Story

Our good friend, Jason McCroskey, returns to ‘Voices from the Field,’ with a great yarn about his time in Iraq.

It was all bullshit. It was all a band-aid. It was all a disillusioned mess. All we did was give away things that would end up in the garbage already on the street, from the balls to candy wrappers. No one’s life improved in the long run. No infrastructure was fixed. No democracy was handed out. That child may have loved the beanie baby I gave, but blowing up a building in her village had more of an impact—in a bad way.

Do yourself a solid.

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Kate K, Unleashed

Kate K is an American treasure. She not only puts up with me and works 60 hours at the VA as an administrative judge but also works for our new non-profit and helps vulnerable Afghan women.

I’m so grateful to have her in my life, giving me shit and keeping me honest.