(Not Rantburg's Bodyguard)
No doubt Thomas Jaichner knew his job protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq was a dangerous one. In the last year alone, 18 of his fellow employees at Blackwater USA, a North Carolina security firm, had been killed on duty there. But for most of his adulthood, protecting people was part of what Jaichner loved most, relatives said. On May 10, it cost him his own life. Jaichner, 33, a Bordentown City native, was killed by sniper fire in Ramadi while part of a team guarding a U.S. diplomat. The diplomat, whom officials would not identify, escaped unharmed, a Blackwater spokesman said.
"Tom was a great protector," said his mother, Merle Barrett of Bordentown. "He died doing just what he wanted to do." Jaichner enlisted in the Army after high school and was a Ranger stationed in Germany during the Gulf War. After the Army, he attended the University of Alabama and enlisted in the Alabama National Guard, serving with its 20th Special Forces Group in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He joined Blackwater in 2003, and was completing his third three-month tour in Iraq with the firm.
"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the family of our friend and patriot, who was killed defending the life of another," Blackwater USA president Gary Jackson said in a statement. Barrett said her son "had a passion" for safeguarding others. "He was a champion," she said. "We're so proud, and so brokenhearted." Born in Trenton, Jaichner lived most of his early years in Bordentown, graduating from Northern Burlington County High School. For a short time, he operated Fatt Philly's Restaurant and Bayou La Batre Catering in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Later he moved with his wife, Blair, to Los Angeles, where he decided to go to the Middle East.
In addition to his wife and mother, Jaichner is survived by his father, William; a sister, Jennifer Lynch; a stepsister, Kimberly Barrett; and his paternal and maternal grandmothers. Friends may call from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Huber-Moore Funeral Home, 517 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, 45 Crosswicks St., Bordentown. Burial with honors will follow at Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown. Memorial contributions may be made to the Bordentown Area Pop Warner Football League.
(Thank you, Tom, and rest well.) |