The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Jarrett P. Griemel, 20, of La Porte, Texas, died June 3 at Forward Operating Base Gardez, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Griemel, who died right before he was to be promoted to sergeant, joined the Army in 2006 after graduating with honors from La Porte High School, where he was a member of the swim team and the surf club.
“He wanted to see the world,” said his brother Chase Schallert, 24. “He wanted to travel and be adventurous.”
In February 2008, Griemel returned home and married his high-school sweetheart, Candice, at a small ceremony in front of a justice of the peace.
“When we got there, I asked him, ‘Are you nervous and he said ‘You know I’m never nervous,’” Candice Griemel, 18, said as she laughed. “But in some of the pictures, he looked nervous.”
Almost a year later in March, he was deployed to Afghanistan, where was expected to serve a 12-month tour.
“He was nervous,” Schallert said. “But he wanted to go on missions.”
Griemel, a petroleum supply specialist, was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division at Fort Richardson, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Allen said. The unit deployed to Afghanistan this year in February and March.
On Wednesday, word came that this seemingly healthy man died mysteriously at Forward Operating Base Gardez.
"He was supposed to go meet friends to work out and didn't show up. A friend went to check on him,"his sister-in-law, Crystal Schallert said.
She said that friend found him and he would not wake up.
"His friend tried to revive him, but it was too late," she said.
The military is investigating to find out what happened.
Griemel was born in San Angelo and raised in La Porte. As children, Schallert said he and his brother would often go into the woods to catch snakes and bugs. As they grew, so did Griemel’s risk-taking and courageous spirit.
He often went parachuting and cliff diving, but his favorite past time was surfing.
“The beach was his favorite place,” said his 14-year-old sister Brianna Bearden.
With his bright red hair and infectious smile, family members said Griemel could light up any room with his charming personality and wonderful sense of humor.
“He would give these big hugs that would just fill your heart up with joy,” said Crystal Schallert. “He would just hold onto you and you knew that he meant it.”
Schallert said he shared a special bond with his grandfather, Eddie Childs, and no one was more proud of him.
Like other family members, Candice Griemel said gripping with the reality of her husband’s death is a painful process that has left her numb.
“In my mind, I know that he’s gone,” she said. “But in my heart he’s still coming home.”
Spc. Jarrett P. Griemel is survived by his wife,Candice; mother,Trena Dorsett, and step-father, Donnie Dorsett,Jr.; sister,Briana Bearden; brother,Chase Schallert, and sister-in-law, Crystal Schallert; his father, Michael Griemel; his grandmother, Nedra Pruett, aunt, Crystal Fountain and uncle Mark Childs.
