“Jamie loved Vermont and the wonderful life he experienced growing up in the hills of Calais on his family’s farm,” Jamie’s father recalled. “Our son wanted to help bring a little bit of the opportunities he grew up with in Vermont to the people of Iraq and was willing to die doing it.”

 Sgt 1^st Class Dan Landry, a fellow soldier deployed to Iraq but not in the same camp as Jamie was quoted as saying “He was not afraid at all. We talked many, many times of the dangers. He said if something happened he went out doing exactly what he wanted to do”.

The soldiers of Jamie’s home unit, the 186^th Maintenance Detachment, Service Batter 1-86 Field Artillery are quoted as saying “SSG Jamie Gray was the type of soldier and person that we strive to be. He put his fellow soldiers and country before himself. Jamie always went the extra mile for family and friends. He provided instruction to his fellow soldiers and friends with regard to maintenance of vehicles.  In addition he spent a great deal of time providing maintenance support to family and friends. I can’t even begin to tell you how many vehicles he repaired for other members of the National Guard and their families.  He was a positive role model to everyone he came in contact. He would let you speak your peace and then smile while correcting you.  His smile was contagious to all those who knew him. He would put in the extra time without being asked.  He was the backbone of any organizations he ever belonged to. His maturity was far beyond that of his peers. He never withheld any information and shared his knowledge freely. He has touched many people in the maintenance community and his memory will live on through us.  He has made all of us better people for having known him.”

The Vermont Fallen Families have all come together because of the loss of our soldiers from Vermont.  Those soldiers gave to us what they knew we would need to move on after their death - their legacy to us.  Our legacy to them is to be certain that “Lest They Be Forgotten”. In carrying out that legacy to them, The Vermont Fallen Families are working on a project to create a memorial/monument to all the fallen and all that have served.  A charitable trust has been created to fund that memorial/monument, to receive donations from the private sector, to build this in memory of all those Vermont veterans, of all branches of the military, who have fallen. Donations for this moment may be sent to VT Fallen Heroes Memorial, c/o Ray DeGiovine, Treas., 15 Corduroy Road, Essex Junction, Vt. 05452.