Ft. Lewis brigade loses 48th soldier

At the end of a 15-month deployment, a Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade lost a 48th soldier: a 27-year-old captain who died on Friday at a Seattle Department of Veterans hospital of wounds suffered in May.

Capt. Drew Jensen, of Oregon, served with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry, and was shot in the neck on May 7 by small-arms fire as his unit came under attack in Diyala Province north of Baghdad.

Jensen was left quadriplegic and breathed with the aid of a respirator that on Friday was removed at his request, according to family friends reached by The Seattle Times and The Oregonian newspaper.

Jensen's wife, Stacia, said in a written statement that her husband "was always an active and passionate person who gave the best of himself to whatever he did. He inspired those around him by embodying the qualities that he valued most: dignity, honor, courage and leadership. For those of us lucky enough to know Drew, we could not have asked for a better husband, son, brother, leader or friend."

Family friend Gayle McCoy told The Oregonian that in accordance with Drew Jensen's wishes, his family "had gone through the steps that are required to have the ventilator removed through the hospital" and that he died peacefully on Friday. His loved ones, she said, were "able to say their goodbyes and give him last rites."

VA hospital officials, citing patient confidentiality laws, declined to comment on Jensen's case.

Speaking of general policies, VA officials said that patients have the legal right to refuse treatment, including respirators.

"In the veterans health care system patients have a right to accept or refuse any medical treatment or procedure we recommend to them," said Dr. Ellen Fox, chief of ethics in health care for the Department of Veterans Affairs

Fox said that VA policies involving ventilator withdrawals are no different than in any other health care system in the United States, and reflect patients "fundamental right to self determination," which have been affirmed by U.S. court decisions.

Fox said that VA staff "go to great lengths" to ensure that patients making decisions about the continued use of ventilators are fully informed about all their options, and competent to make those decisions. Such patients would typically receive counseling as well.

When the ventilator withdrawal is sought by a quadriplegic, "this is a particularly difficult situation for everyone," Fox said.

Capt. Jensen, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2002, was on his second tour in Iraq. His unit -- the 5th Battalion 20th Infantry Regiment -- was involved in some of the heaviest fighting in Baqouba, which had been an al-Qaida stronghold.

The day before his injury, an improvised bomb killed six soldiers in the battalion, as well as a Russian photojournalist.

Capt. Jensen's death came as the brigade of some 3,800 soldiers was finishing up duty in Iraq. An advance party of 140 soldiers arrived last Tuesday to reunite with family and friends; the rest of the brigade is scheduled to return in the days and weeks ahead.

The brigade initially deployed to Iraq in June 2006 for a 12-month tour that was extended to 15 months as part of President Bush's plan to increase U.S. troop strength.

During the tour, more than 630 brigade soldiers were wounded, including 101 whose wounds were serious enough to require airlifting out of Iraq.

In addition to the 48 brigade soldiers who died, seven soldiers serving in units attached to the brigade were killed during the tour, according to spokesman Maj. Robert Parke.

Capt. Jensen graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a degree in history. During his Army career he received the Army Commendation Medal with "V" Device and other awards, according to a statement released by the Army.

In the Army's statement, members of Capt. Jensen's family asked that the media refrain from contacting them.

Larry Cole, an Oregon neighbor from the Clackamas area, said Capt. Jensen was severely injured, and that his parents have spent a lot of time in Seattle to support their son. To help out, Cole and other neighbors raised money for a care package that included money for gas, food and other items.

Last Wednesday, Jensen and his wife, Stacia, received a visit from Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a former Marine, at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System hospital in Seattle.

Kulongoski said it was a private visit and declined to comment further, according to Patti Wentz, a spokeswoman for the Oregon governor.

Kulongoski has attended the funerals of most Oregon soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. He will be out of the country, and unable to attend Jensen's service, according to Wentz.

Jensen's family has started a scholarship fund in his name for disadvantaged students who exhibit exceptional leadership. Contributions can be made to the Drew Jensen Memorial Fund at the Oregon Community Foundation, www.ocf1.org.