Please help me honor Master Sergeant Ivica Jerak, 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force).
Known to his teammates as “Pizza” and the “Croatian Sensation,” he was born in the small village of Debeljak near Zadar in 1962. After serving in the Yugoslav military and working as a sailor, he immigrated to the United States and enlisted in the US Army as a combat medic in 1988.
Over a distinguished 17-year career he rose through the 10th Special Forces Group and into Delta Force, earning 47 decorations, including multiple Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts, while serving in the Persian Gulf, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
On August 25, 2005, at age 42, Jerak was killed near Husaybah, Iraq, when his vehicle struck an anti-tank mine during operations against al-Qaeda. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
His hometown later dedicated a playground in his honor, a lasting reminder of a Croatian-born American who gave everything for his adopted country.
Rest easy, warrior.
Never forgotten.