Major Pamela Jessen, USAF

I met MSgt. Tara Brown in October, 2010 when we started our pre-deployment training. She and I had an immediate connection and became great friends.

When she arrived in Afghanistan a few weeks after me, it was like a ray of sunshine had arrived to dark, dreary land. Tara had an amazing ability to make everybody around her feel good. She arrived for in-processing in my office and ran to me screaming “Captain Jessen, I am so happy to see you!” She was in our office for a few hours and made everybody in the office smile due to her positive energy. One of those individuals in our office with the biggest smile was Lt. Col. Frank Bryant, who was also lost to us on that horrible day. After Tara lef that frist day, Col. Bryant said “she will definitely brighten up this place” and I said to him “yes that’s for sure…she is our bundle of sunshine!”

In addition to being full of positive energy, Tara also was an amazing NCO. Everything she did was with excellence and dedication. She got up early to exercise and complete her college coursework every morning…and this was before she was starting her 14 hour duty day. She was ready to help the Afghan students do well. She lover her Ernest, her family and her Jesus. It’s been over a year since she was lost to us, and I still feel her lost as if it just happened yesterday. What brings me peace is knowing that she is with our heavenly father and is looking over us every day.