Anyone who knew Staff Sgt. Jarred S. Fontenot, 35, would say the same thing about him: He loved his job.
The Port Barre, La., resident who was stationed at Fort Carson died Thursday in Baghdad of injuries sustained from an explosion and small-arms fire while on his second tour of duty to Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
“Jarred believed strongly in the military and planned to stay in until his retirement,” his mother-in-law, Bett Dedon, said. “He died a hero to his children.”
Fontenot is survived by his wife and their four children: three sons – 16, 7 and 6 – and a 4-year-old daughter. Dedon said two of Fontenot’s children are autistic, and the family has not told one of his autistic sons about his father’s death because he has difficulty adapting to anything that disrupts his routine.
“I will be the one to tell him in person. Jarred’s eldest son is taking it the hardest because he himself planned on entering the military,” Dedon said, adding that the 16-year-old still plans to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Dedicating time to his family was important to Fontenot, Dedon said, because he didn’t have a family growing up. Fontenot’s parents died when he was young, and he and his sister were raised by grandparents, she said.
“Jarred always took time to be with his family, but was a very dedicated officer too,” said Officer Tony Duplechain, who worked with Fontenot at the Port Barre Police Department. “He’d work for free just to help us out on his days off.”
Fontenot, who entered the Army on Christmas Day 1993, worked for local law enforcement between tours in Iraq. He was deployed from September 2004 to September 2005, and was slated to come home in December after being deployed in October 2006 when the Army extended his tour, Dedon said.
“I guess you get comfortable when he’s over there for so long and nothing happens,” Dedon said. “You think, ‘Oh, he’s OK. He’ll be home in a month.”‘
Fontenot served with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division of Fort Carson and won numerous service awards, including the Army Good Conduct medal.
Cassie Hewlings: 303-954-1638 or chewlings@denverpost.com
