Army 2nd Lieutenant Jered W. Ewy, 33, of Edmond, OK was assigned to 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, Tulsa, OK. He died July 29, 2011, in Janak Kheyl, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

2LT Ewy enlisted in 1998 to become an Army Ranger — an elite member of the U.S. Army. He was one of the first troops on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11. He served two tours of duty before transferring in 2003 to the Oklahoma National Guard as an instructor so he could earn his criminal justice degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, which he did in 2010.

His friends remembered him as the guy who loved snakes, gymnastics and hunting. Having grown up as a competitive gymnast, he turned to coaching when he joined the Guard. “He was great with the kids,” said Kristen Squires, whose two sons were on his team. “He didn’t just want to teach them gymnastics. He wanted to teach them life lessons as well. He taught them honor, and that it was honorable to serve your country.

Ewy leaves behind his wife, Megan and daughter, Kyla.