Jason E. George

Sunday, May 24 2009 @ 09:41 PM MDT

Bakersfield Now -- A Tehachapi man was killed in Iraq May 21st, one of three soldiers whose names were released Sunday by the Department of Defense.

The incident near Baghdad, Iraq is described as an attack on the soldiers' unit by enemy forces using improvised explosive devices.

The soldiers killed are identified as Major Jason E. George, 38, of Tehachapi, Calif. He was an Army Reservist assigned to the 252nd Combined Arms Battalion, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

George graduated from Tehachapi High School in 1988.

The others killed in the attack are First Lieutenant Leevi K. Barnard, 28, of Mount Airy, N.C. He was a National Guardsman assigned to the 252nd Combined Arms Battalion, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

And Sgt. Paul F. Brooks, 34, of Joplin, Mo. He was a National Guardsman assigned to the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Springfield, Missouri.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

==Another news story==

The Associated Press -- When Jason E. George attended a classmate’s traditional Indian wedding — complete with loud music and lots of dancing — he wasn’t content to quietly observe from the sidelines.

“JG was in the heart of it all, trying to dance like my Indian family and friends in spite of having no clue what he was doing,” said Tej Shah. “No matter where he was or what the conditions, you could count on him to bring life to the party.”

George, 38, of Tehachapi, Calif., died May 21 in Baghdad when a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to Fayetteville, N.C.

He was an Eagle Scout who loved Ford cars and Michigan football.

He was a skilled athlete who played rugby, tennis, baseball, soccer, and basketball — and was an undefeated boxer at West Point.

He also had a master’s from the University of Michigan. After graduation, he worked in the Chicago office of Deloitte Consulting.

“He had a sense of service to causes greater than himself and he was not afraid to fight for those causes,” said Kelly Tubbs Campbell, a classmate. “It was this courage that I loved about him.”

He is survived by his parents, Hugh and Candy Mason.

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