On the recordMarch 15, 2011
It is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of Corporal Jonathan W. Taylor. Four years to the day of his graduation from boot camp, Corporal Taylor died on February 22, 2011. At the age of 23, he bravely gave his life while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Growing up, Corporal Taylor always knew that he wanted to be a United States Marine. As a student at Lecanto High School, he was a member of the JROTC program. He was an active member of the Sea Cadet Program out of Yankeetown. In October 2007, Corporal Taylor was deployed on his first combat tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following that tour, he was deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan three separate times. While his unit was not deployed during his second-to-last tour, Corporal Taylor bravely volunteered to go back to Afghanistan to continue the fight with his Marines. Corporal Taylor was laid to rest today with honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Over his career, his awards included the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan, and the Purple Heart.
