Air Force Times -- An airman deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, died Thursday of natural causes, the Defense Department announced Friday.

Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Wash., was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

Larsen died of non-combat-related medical causes, a Beale spokesman said, but the exact cause of death is not being released.

A paralegal by trade, Larsen was serving as the superintendent of the Beale legal office.

She had been assigned to Beale since April 2006, and she joined the Air Force in 1990.

==Another news story==

Blog -- "Honoring Technical Sergeant Jackie Larsen"--An extremely rewarding aspect of my military career was the chance to work with very talented and very dedicated people. I was constantly amazed (and I continue to be amazed) by the legal talent serving in the Armed Forces. All the services set the bar high for attorney accessions, and the quality of legal work shows. But all of this legal talent would not amount to the proverbial hill of beans without the backbone of any legal practice; the paralegal.

Military paralegals are some of the most intelligent, competent, and professional Airman, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, or Coasties. They take their professions (both legal and military) seriously. They work hard at their job, and they work hard at keeping the attorneys in line. When I was a young JAG, fresh from the civilian world, it was the NCO paralegals in my office who took me under their wing and taught me how to be an officer. It is through paralegals that I learned about leadership, compassion, integrity, and professionalism. As with most of the military, in the JAG-world, the NCO Corps is truly the backbone of the service.

All this is a rather lengthy lead-in for the purpose of this post: honoring a paralegal I did not have the opportunity to meet, but who seems to represent the best of all the paralegals I've known; Technical Sergeant Jackie L. Larsen. TSgt Larsen passed away last month from illness while deployed to Iraq. In a tribute written by Lt Col Pete Teller, her staff judge advocate, she is described as a "tough and competent NCO" who could "reach out and touch others with gentleness and compassion." She was a mentor to the younger paralegals. She wasn't "flashy," she saw what needed doing and did it. For example, Lt Col Teller describes how TSgt Larsen deployed in the place of a young NCO, with a young family, who had deployed a year earlier and who was married to another Airman who had deployed twice in the past 18 months. TSgt Larsen volunteered to take the place of the young wife and mother to allow that family a little more time at home. That was just one example of her selfless service. Lt Col Teller calls TSgt Larsen a "hero" for the way she looked after those she considered "her folks." According to Lt Col Teller, like many NCOs and paralegals, TSgt Larsen had a tough exterior, but underneath was a heart filled with "fierce dedication and compassion."

It appears to me that TSgt Larsen was a quality paralegal and a great person. I'd like to join the rest of the Air Force Judge Advocate Corps in honoring her memory.

==Another news story==

Beale AFB, California -- Our JAG Corps recently lost a wonderful noncommissioned officer. Technical Sergeant Jackie L. Larsen from the Beale AFB legal office passed away while deployed to Iraq. Lieutenant Colonel Pete Teller, Beale's Staff Judge Advocate, honors TSgt Larsen with the following tribute.

TSgt Larsen was very devoted to her family and to our Nation. She passed away while serving them both, far from home.

TSgt Larsen was laid to rest on Monday, surrounded by friends and family. Our entire Corps mourns her loss, and we honor her memory.

JACK L. RIVES
Lieutenant General, USAF
The Judge Advocate General

Remembering Technical Sergeant Larsen

You did not have to know Technical Sergeant Jackie Larsen well to know that she was a tough and competent NCO. Within the first few days of arriving at Beale, I knew I wasn't walking into my office; I was walking into her office. And if I had any thoughts of not taking care of her paralegals, I had better think again. It made me like her instantly.

Being a tough and competent NCO is an achievement in itself, but I have had the honor of serving with many such Airmen. It is rarer to find a person who, while tough when required, could also reach out and touch others with gentleness and compassion. It was a side of Jackie that many who worked with her never got to see. For those of us that saw Jackie with her mother, we got a treasured glimpse into the warmth and tenderness that lay beneath. For those Airmen to whom she was a mentor, they experienced that compassion -- often mixed with her signature toughness -- in a way that they will honor forever.

Jackie was truly a dedicated servant, to her Nation and to her family. She wasn't flashy about it; she simply saw what needed to be done, and went to work. Last spring, our office received a tasking for one of our paralegals to deploy. The young NCO who was tasked to go downrange had deployed 12 months earlier and was married to a CE troop who had already deployed twice in the last 18 months. That couple had precious little time at home with their 3-year-old daughter. Although Jackie had no children herself, no one needed to tell Jackie what to do. She volunteered to deploy to let that young family spend time growing together.

Last fall, Jackie also had the chance to visit her extended family in the Philippines. To see her face light up as she described the mountain village her family came from was priceless. She talked with a glowing smile about the way the entire family played together -- the children from every home bounding from place to place. It was clear that she had found a place where she could feel at home. It is a great comfort to me that she had glimpsed a future beyond the Air Force that would nurture her in the same way that that she had served others for so long.

Jackie Larsen was a hero to me from the moment I met her for the way she looked out for her folks. As I grew to know her, she became even more of a hero as I learned of the fierce dedication and compassion that lay just beneath her tough exterior. As I honor her ultimate sacrifice, in the service of her Nation and her Air Force, it surely places her among the greatest heroes I have ever known. 

Link: http://www.timeofremembrance.org/larsen.html