We Honor and Remember:
SSgt. Jorge M. Oliveira
Hometown: Newark, New Jersey Age: 33 Died: October 19, 2011 in Operation Enduring Freedom Unit: 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, 50th Brigade Combat Team, Riverdale, N.J. Birth: Jan. 22, 1978, Portugal Staff Sgt. Jorge M. Oliveira died at Yahya Khel, Paktika Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. The Soldier was dismounted and conducting a route reconnaissance when the explosive device detonated. Oliveira spent three years on Army active duty with the 101st Airborne Division before joining the National Guard in 2003. In Afghanistan, Oliveira's unit is assigned to the Sharana Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which is assisting the Afghan government establish the rule of law and sustainable economic and social development in the region. In April, Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, the New Jersey Adjutant General, met Oliveira and other members of the unit during their training at Camp Atterbury, Ind. Rieth said Oliveira was one of the most seasoned noncommissioned officers on the deployment, having served on a detainee operations mission to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2004, in response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans the following year and a yearlong combat tour in Iraq with the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2008-2009. Oliveira had recorded a litany of achievements in his time in uniform. He had been awarded the Expert Infantry Badge; the Air Assault Badge; the Airborne Badge; and the Army Military Mountaineer Badge. He had completed the Primary Leadership Development Course; the Infantry Light Leader's Course; and the Combat Tracker Course and the winter in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Oliveira was awarded the Army Military Mountaineer badge in early 2011 for completing the winter phase of the Mountaineering Course in Jericho, Vermont. In March of 2011, Oliveira along with the other members of the 2nd Battalion 113th Infantry Security Forces Platoon entered the mobilization phase of their deployment in Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Upon completing mobilization training, Oliveira with the other members of his platoon deployed to Afghanistan in June 2011 where he served as a Squad Leader in a Security Forces Platoon attached to the Provincial Reconstruction Team. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Staff Sgt. Jorge M. Oliveira, 33, of Newark, N.J., died Oct. 19 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, 50th Brigade Combat Team, Riverdale, N.J. Staff Sgt. Oliveira was on his third, year-long tour of duty during the incident. He previously served in Iraq and Cuba. When not in fatigues, Oliveira worked as an Essex County Sheriff's officer. His boss praised his 11-year service to the department. He joined the Sheriff 's Office in 2001, served as a member of the SWAT team & warrant squad, and most recently a detective with the fugitive squad. He is survived by his parents Mrs. Armanda Nunes Oliveira (nee DosSantos) and Manuel Moreira DeOliveira. Brother of Marco & Jessica Oliveira. Burial: Holy Cross Cemetery North Arlington Bergen County New Jersey, USA Awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal (Posthumous), Purple Heart Medal (Posthumous), Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserved Medal with "M" Device (3rd Award), Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal with ISAF Clasp, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Airborne Badge, Air Assault Badge, Ram's Head Device. |
A soldier’s honor ~ A mother’s grief. Jorge Oliveira arrived in the Ironbound from a town in northern Portugal when he was 7, the son of immigrants who spoke no English. He was buried today on a hilltop in North Arlington, on a bluff that overlooks the New York City skyline on one side, and Newark, the city Jorge Oliveira, called home, and served, on the other. On that hilltop, his parents, Manuel and Armanda, were presented the honorary evidence of their son’s complete assimilation into their new country. The Purple Heart, a military medal that dates back to George Washington. A Bronze Star. An American flag folded in a tight triangle by the six soldiers who carried his casket. A retired No. 1 badge from the Essex Sheriff’s department. His mother accepted these, all while crying out to her dead son in Portuguese. The large contingent of Ironbound mourners understood the words, and tears streamed down the faces of men and women alike. "I don’t want to leave you here, son … I don’t want to leave you," Armanda cried, over and over, as a few hundred uniformed men and women streamed past her son’s silver casket, offering a final salute to a fallen comrade. A soldier’s honor. A mother’s grief. These are the recurring themes of the military funerals for all time, most recently in the decade since 9/11. |
New Jersey Run for the Fallen 2023 ~ Click on photos below to enlarge...
New Jersey Run for the Fallen 2022 ~ Click on photos below to enlarge...