Community Corner

On 10th Anniversary of Iraq War, Sag Harbor Remembers Jordan Haerter

The Iraq War, 10 Years of Casualties: The South Fork feels its touch.

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began 10 years ago this week — on March 19, 2003 — and although officially "over," fighting continues with discouraging persistence.

By one count, the war is directly responsible for 189,000 deaths, not including those who died from hardship caused by the fighting. In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, including 191 New Yorkers.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter, a 19-year-old from Sag Harbor, died a hero nearly five years ago, becoming the first East End soldier to die in the conflict.

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Army 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert, a 24-year-old Shelter Island native whose father lives in Sag Harbor, was killed in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on June 4, 2010. Also, among the casualties was Marine Lance Cpl. Jared J. Kremm, of Hauppauge, the son of J.J. Kremm, an East Hampton Town employee. At 24, Kremm was killed in Saqlawiyah, Iraq, on Oct. 27, 2005. Posthumously, he was awarded the Purple Heart.

Army Staff Sgt. James L. Pettaway Jr. of Baltimore, who grew up in Southampton, also lost his life; he died on Oct. 3, 2004 after being injured in Fallujah on Aug. 27, 2004.

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Haerter was also the first from Sag Harbor killed in combat since World War II.

Just three weeks after being sent to Iraq, Haerter died on April 22, 2008, while shooting a suicide bomber who ignored warning shots and drove onto a base in Ramadi. The 2,000 pounds of explosives on the truck detonated, killing him and Marine Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, of Burkesville, Va. Their quick decision saved 33 fellow Marines, one of whom Haerter pushed out of harm's way, and 21 Iraqi police.

"It's hard to believe it was 10 years ago that the war started," Haerter's father Christian Haerter said. "It's coming up on five years since Jordan was killed. He still is in my thoughts literally every minute of the day, so I can imagine there's 4,000 some odd other families that feel the same way about their children."

On the 10th anniversary of the start of the war, Haerter's mother, JoAnn Lyles, said she is thinking more about the Marines killed in Nevada during a training exercise Tuesday. They belonged to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, that Haerter belonged to as well. The names of those who died haven't been released yet, but Lyles doesn't believe she knows them since most of the Marines who served with her son are no longer with the unit. Either way, "We're a family," she said.

With the anniversary of the war, Lyles said she can't help but consider the alternative. "On a personal level, I just know how different things would be had there not been that war. Sadly, I'm not sure we accomplished anything," she said.

Mayor Brian Gilbride, a member of the Sag Harbor Village Board at the time, said the village continues to remember Haerter. "You have to remember, most of all, that Jordan was doing what he wanted to do and paid the ultimate sacrifice — just an extraordinary young man who the village is very proud of. Every day that goes by we're proud of him."

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Since his death, the bridge from Sag Harbor to North Haven was renamed in his honor, a memorial tribute stands next to the Windmill, and even a graffist's work memorializing Haerter underneath the bridge remains. The annual Wounded Warriors Soldier Ride stops in the village to pay tribute to Haerter.

President Barack Obama mentioned Haerter in his speech when announcing the timetable of the withdrawal of the troops. Haerter's maternal grandparents and uncle were in the audience.

Haerter and Yale were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second-highest military honor for valor, in a ceremony at the Marine Museum in Triangle, Va. He also received the Purple Heart.

Haerter, along with Theinert, was also inducted into the Senate's Veterans Hall of Fame in 2012.

Please join Patch in remembering Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter. Leave a comment at the bottom of this article to show thanks for his sacrifice.


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