Army Sergeant Jason Vaughn was born prematurely. Barely 5 pounds and 4 ounces at birth, his family called him “Jaybird” because he was so scrawny. But the boy who was born scrawny was never weak or feeble. He was actually quite adventurous.

His mother once caught him dangling his feet out of a window on the second story. His first few years of life were spent crisscrossing the country with his missionary parents, who finally settled into ministering in La Paz, Bolivia. In 1990, the family moved to the hometown of Jason’s father, Iuka, MS. There he would graduate from Tishomingo County High School. He worked at Country Squire Restaurant in his junior and senior years.

Jason joined the Army in 2003 at age 25. His first tour of Iraq from November 2003 to November 2004 brought about many close calls. Jason came back to Iuka to visit in Christmas 2004. His father noticed that Jason was making a very intentional effort to spend time with his family and closest of friends.

In a private conversation, Jason told his father that he felt his luck might be running out. Nevertheless, Jason returned to Iraq for a second tour in June 2006. On May 20, 2007, Army SGT Jason Vaughn was traveling in a vehicle when it was hit by a roadside bomb. The community of Iuka was shaken to lose such a widely loved son. Tishomingo County High School dismissed their students so they could line the embankment overlooking Highway 72 and pay their respects to SGT Vaughn’s body as it passed by. So many friends turned out for SGT Vaughn’s funeral they had to hold the funeral at the Gospel Lighthouse Pentecostal Church, the only building large enough to accommodate the crowd.

Click here to read the rest of SGT Jason Vaughn’s story at www.40DaysofHonor.com.