Oregon Bids Farewell to Another Decorated War Hero (VIDEO)

Jessica Ellis was a highly decorated combat medic who died three weeks after receiving the Purple Heart.

Photos courtesy: Oregon Guard and Q Madp, for more information visit

(BAKER CITY, Ore.) - A soldier who served with honor in the 101st Airborne Division was laid to rest in Oregon and she will be sorely missed by countless family members, loved ones and friends both in Oregon and Iraq.

24-year old Jessica A. Ellis wasn't just a soldier; she was a medic. Her job was keeping people alive in combat and reports indicate that she did it time and time again with valor. She died May 11th from injuries resulting from a blast from an improvised explosive device, or I.E.D., that struck her vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.

Corporal Jessica Ellis is from Bend, Oregon, was a health care specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

She entered the Army in September 2004 and arrived at Fort Campbell in May 2005, according to accounts.

Jessica Ellis has a list of awards and decorations that include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct, National Defense Service and Iraq Campaign Medals; the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Medical Badge. She had an expert Weapons Qualification with the M4 rifle.

Jessica is survived by her parents, Linda and Steven Ellis, of Baker City, Oregon. That is where services were held this week.

Q Madp of IraqWarHeroes.org was on hand and ended up filling in as the main photographer for the event. As our veterans die in the wars overseas, he travels to every local memorial service and funeral he can nake it to in order to photograph the event for the families. Q had gone to a planning event with a Patriot Guard representative and he takes the events very seriously and approaches them with a lot of respect.

His photos of the somber event are posted in a video presentation below. As you will see, Q Madp is an extremely talented photographer and that is proper when dealing with a hero like Corporal Jessica Ellis.

She was a medic you know, that is the second time she was involved in an I.E.D. She saved countless lives over there and many people managed to get back home alive because she was out there doing her thing. She died three weeks after earning the Purple Heart."

Madp says 24 Patriot Guard riders were on hand, "Half went to the church to set up the flag line, and the other half escorted the procession for about 5 blocks which was also lined with flags set up that morning."

He says the church was packed and the priest offered an apology for not having enough room in his building for all the people that wanted to honor her.

Included on that list were Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Congressman Greg Walden where there also.

Madp and others like him say they will continue to do everything they can to support the families of those who pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country. You learn in the case of soldiers like Jessica Ellis of Bend, that many Americans in Iraq are dedicated in ways beyond words to saving, rather than taking lives, and that has to be the single most important role in the military.

To learn more about American war heroes who have been lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, visit IraqWarHeroes.org and check out the hundreds of hours of work that Q Madp has dedicated to the memories of these people. It is the only Website like it in the entire world. I took Q's business cards to Afghanistan and gave them to soldiers everywhere from different countries; he is unlimited in who he is willing to honor, including soldiers of other nations in some cases and American contractors killed in the war. He believes their sacrifices all count. Q always needs assistance with escalating gas prices in making it to these events. Please make a donation to his needs when you visit his site, it keeps him going from one funeral to the next, and it is an important mission.

Special thanks to YouTube, here is the video:

Video