Chesapeake native remembered as eager to serve, dedicated to his job

NORFOLK

When eye problems threatened to derail Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Kilian Dozier’s dream of becoming a soldier, he pushed for a second exam.

And a decade later, when his career choice led him to the Iraq war zone, Dozier remained eager to serve.

Family members on Saturday described Dozier as a man of perseverance. The Chesapeake native and Great Bridge High School graduate was killed Jan. 9 during combat operations in Sinsil, Iraq.

A service for Dozier drew more than 200 people Saturday to Norfolk Naval Station’s David Adams Memorial Chapel. His burial at Arlington National Cemetery is scheduled for Tuesday.

He leaves behind a 1-year-old daughter, Emma Grace Dozier.

Dozier, 30, was born to be a soldier, his parents said. As a young boy, he would play in the woods, pretending to be in the Army.

Facing his American flag-draped coffin, Martha Cabe called her son “our defender.”

“He told his dad he was ready to die for his country,” the Portsmouth resident said. “… I know my son is in a better place, and it would be very selfish of me to want him back.”

Stationed in Germany, Dozier was on his first deployment to Iraq.

Dozier had entered a building to secure it when an improvised explosive device detonated. The blast, believed to be caused by Sunni insurgents, killed him and five other soldiers.

Carl Dozier of Chesapeake spoke of his son as a fighter and a mentor. Jonathan Dozier was dedicated to his job as a sniper team leader and always strived to do more, he said.

“Jon went where others feared to go and did what others feared to do,” said Carl Dozier, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel.

U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, R-4th District , who attended the service, grew up with Carl Dozier and said he had hoped to see his son during a December visit to Iraq. The meeting didn’t work out because of distance.

“It’s hard not to have a sense of pride,” Forbes said after the service. “These men and women give everything they have for us.”

Dozier’s sister, Chesapeake police Officer Jennifer Rider, experienced loss for a second time in two weeks with the Thursday shooting of a colleague. She choked back tears as she read a poem at Saturday’s service.

Before leaving the podium, Rider had one last thing to tell those in attendance.

“My brother died with honor,” she said. “He could have died a million ways. … This is the way he would have wanted it.”

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562,hattie.brown@pilotonline.com