A 24-year-old soldier, husband, father, son and brother was memorialized Thursday morning with a tree dedication ceremony at Fort Stewart’s Warriors Walk.

Arkansas native Sgt. Jason Swindle was remembered with a granite memorial and a living memorial — an eastern red bud tree.
Swindle’s wife Chelsey; his father and mother, Jerry and Joy Swindle; and four brothers, Joey, Matt, Sam and John, were present for the ceremony, along with members of his unit, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

Swindle’s sons, Paxton, 1, and newborn Jason Jr., were unable to attend. The youngest was born Dec. 3 — his father’s birthday — more than three months after Swindle was killed in action in Afghanistan.

Brig. Gen. John Hort, 3rd ID deputy commanding general-rear, thanked Swindle’s family for their sacrifice and for attending the ceremony. With a backdrop of sunny skies but strong winds, he recognized Swindle’s father for his service with the U.S. Marine Corps and his support for the Army by having had three sons serving in the Army. At one point, all of sons were deployed at the same time.

Read more in the Jan. 19 edition of the News.