“I gave my sons to God and prayed everyday that He bring them both home safely.” That’s how Deniese Draeger said she handled having two sons serving in Iraq during the same time.
Draeger’s sons Jonathan and Jared Spurrier served in different parts of Iraq with different branches of the military during the same time period of 2006-07, and both made it back home.
Jonathan returned and continued his service career, retiring on Sept. 20 this year with the rank of Staff Sergeant/E-6. Jared came back and joined local law enforcement.
Both graduated from Owensboro High School, and each went directly to the military. Military service is a bit of a tradition in the family. The Spurrier brothers have had and still have family members that include grandparents, uncles, and cousins that served in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard though the Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan war eras.
Jonathan served in the U.S. Marines Corps from August 2000-August 2005, serving as an Intelligence Analyst. He went on to serve in the Kentucky National Guard from January 2006-September 2021.
“I joined the military because when I graduated high school I was not interested in going to college, but I felt like I needed to do something with my life,” he said. “I had a few individuals in grades above me that I knew that joined the military and after talking to them that is the decision I decided to make for myself.”
Jonathan’s deployments included Iraq (2006-07), Afghanistan (2009-10), and Iraq/Kuwait (2019-20).
“I enjoyed my military service but I got out because I had been in for 20 years and wanted to pursue a second career on the civilian side,” he said. “Some valuable lessons the military has taught me are teamwork, adaptability, decision making, loyalty, duty, and respect.
As a member of the National Guard, in addition to combat-related deployments he got to serve the local area on some of the natural disaster incidents that took place.
“We supported the community during the ice storm of 2009, and it felt rewarding to be able to assist the citizens of the local community during this time,” he said. “Our unit was also activated to provide support for other states during their time of need as well, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the hurricanes in Florida in 2017.”
Jared enlisted in the Marine Corps June 2003, serving through July 2007 as an infantry rifleman.
“I was an athlete throughout high school and I enjoyed physically challenging myself and being part of a team,” he said. “I knew at the time that college would not be for me, but I wanted to be challenged, I wanted to be part of something bigger, and I had friends and as well as an older brother that was serving so I decided I wanted to serve my county also.”
Jared served in Iraq from 2006-2007 as a Sergeant E-5/squad leader for the 2nd Marine Division’s Antiterrorism Battalion.
He went on to serve the community as a law enforcement officer.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about my military experience and service,” he said. “I felt it was right for me and my family at the time my first enlistment ended to transition from military back to civilian life.”
Jared said while his is proud of his military service, the “real hero is my brother Jonathan.”
“He dedicated 20 years of his life, participated in three combat deployments to the Middle East, and activated during natural disasters to serve the citizens of the community,” Jared said. “There are many deserving veterans but with his recent retirement I could not think of a better way to honor him than to ensure everyone knows that he sacrificed so much to serve, and it is very important that not just on this day, but every day we remember to be thankful for our veterans.”
