Hometown Heroes

By Wes Eubanks
Special to the Herald Times
RBC | Jake Lewis officially became a U.S. Marine 17 Sept. 2001, less than a week after the terrorist attack on our nation. His inner drive and natural abilities enabled him to rise thru the ranks to Sgt. E-5, the 2nd NCO in charge of a 20 man Recon Unit with multiple deployments to the war in the desert.
In January 2010 a catastrophic earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti. Infrastructure was completely destroyed, including their White House, General Assembly and UN Headquarters. The president and the UN commander were killed. Civilian casualties were estimated at a quarter of a million people.
Government control collapsed, shortages of food and water ensued, citizens were rioting in the streets, murder and looting were rampant. Neighborhoods banded together for protection and went into survival mode. Lewis was assigned the task of leading recon patrols day and night into this state of chaos. His mission was to observe the civilian population, evaluate their conditions and identify their leaders.
His reports enabled efficient distribution of available resources: medical aid, food, water, shelters and security. When their mission was finally complete He brought all of his men back alive.
Jake and his wife Sara (a Marine vet) have lived in Meeker since 2016 and are members of the Meeker VFW Post.