In God We Trust
While on duty on August 21st, 1999, Balcombe's quick thinking and selfless response safeguarded and protected others at the Troop Medical Clinic at Camp Red Cloud, Korea. She placed herself in harm's way between three soldiers and an armed gunman.
News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon, August 28, 1999
A funeral for former McMinnville resident Sgt. 1st Class Jeanne M. Balcombe of Lakewood, Washington, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the chapel of Macy & Son Funeral Directors, McMinnville. The Rev. Steve Ross of McMinnville United Methodist Church will officiate. Vault interment with military honors will be held in Evergreen Memorial Park, McMinnville. Mrs. Balcombe died August 21, 1999, in Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, after being mortally wounded in the line of duty as an Army military police officer. She was 32. Born November 8, 1966, in Fort Lewis, Washington, she was the daughter of Willard Edward and Alice Anne Robinson Hamilton. She moved to North Carolina as a baby, then to Sheridan when she was three years old. She attended first grade in Sheridan. Her family moved in August 1973 to McMinnville, where she was raised and educated. In 1984, she joined the Army. She was stationed at Camp Red Cloud at the time of her death. She and Mike Balcombe were married April 9, 1989, in McMinnville. Mrs. Balcombe loved to play softball and soccer. She was an avid bowler and liked to bike with her family. Survivors include her husband, of Lakewood, Washington; two daughters, Alice Balcombe and Kristin Balcombe, both of Lakewood; her parents, of McMinnville; four brothers, Dave Hamilton, John Hamilton and Tom Hamilton, all of McMinnville, and Rick Hamilton of Nevada; and a sister, Jennifer Wolfe of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
On September 1, 1999, Sgt. 1st Class Jeanne M. Balcombe, of the 1st Platoon, 55th Military Police Company, was posthumously awarded the Soldiers Medal for heroism in the face of danger. Here is the citation:
"Sergeant Jeanne Balcombe was shot and killed at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, by one of her own soldiers. The suspect, who was drunk at the time, was upset that Sergeant Balcombe had ordered a blood test on one of the suspect's friends. He then overpowered a South Korean soldier stationed at the base and took his sidearm. He shot Sergeant Balcombe three times, including once in the head, before fleeing the base. He was captured later in the day by Korean National Police officers with the murder weapon still in his possession. The suspect was convicted of capital murder by General Court Martial and sentenced to life in prison. Sergeant Balcombe was a member of the 55th Military Police Company. She is survived by her husband and two daughters."
Marissa Jo Gloria, age 20, Moorhead, Minnesota, was found dead in her barracks on March 21, 2020. She joined the Army in January of 2019. After completing her training she arrived at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, in April 2019. Marrissa was a combat engineer with the 2nd ID sustainment brigade. Born on October 12th, 1994 in Fargo, ND, Marissa Jo Gloria lived an all too brief 25 years. She passed on Saturday March 21st, 2020 while serving her country in the U.S. Army.
Marissa is survived by Lisa Gonzalez (mother), Robert Gonzalez (father), Ruben [Janice] Gloria (father), Marvin Glaser (grandparent), Candy Glaser (grandparent), Dolores Gloria (grandparent), Robert Gonzalez Sr. (grandparent), Gloria Gonzalez (grandparent), siblings: Brayden Gonzalez, Alexandrea Gonzalez, Tommy Gonzalez, Ruben Jr. Gloria, Miranda Gloria, Jacob Wentz (nephew), many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, Zach Stankovich (special friend) and many, many other loving friends. She is preceded in death by Ralph Gloria (grandfather), great-grandparents, Marvin and Winifred Glaser and Arnold and Nora Esterby. and Albert Gloria [Tony Montana] (uncle).
Marissa attended West Fargo High, and continued her education at M/State Community College obtaining her Associates Degree in Accounting. She loved Moorhead, MN and called it home, but had a special place in her heart for Kansas City and the Fargo/West Fargo area. She entered Active Duty on January 2nd, 2019 and got her castle pinned April 2019. It was one the proudest moments of her life. She was most recently stationed overseas on Active Duty as a Private First Class (PFC), and served as a Combat Engineer at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
She loved her family and friends hard, and unconditionally. She had a smile that could lift the heaviest of fogs and a sense of humor that at times could seem peculiar, but could lift the heaviest of spirits. True to her character, she never let the many obstacles in her life hold her down. Marissa was the sister we all wanted, the daughter every parent longed for and the feminine role model every girl should aspire to become. She was not an easy kid by any definition, but against all odds, became an inspiration to us all. She spent a lot of her time cultivating strong relationships with family and friends. She loved the outdoors and camping, and was always in the mood for a good country song. Her laughter and smile was contagious, and her presence caring and sweet. She showed us how to persevere, triumph, and how to endure. Marissa above all cared and loved each and every one of us with her whole heart and with all of her energy, even if there wasn't enough left for her.
The Memorial Service will be held privately and by invitation only. A Celebration of Life is to be determined at a later date. For extended family and friends, the service will be available to view online on Boulger Funeral Home's website after it takes place. Marissa will be laid to rest at the Fargo National Cemetery. She will be given military honors at the funeral home after the service. We would like to extend our gratitude for your continued support and understanding. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center, Fargo.
MOORHEAD, Minn. — An Army soldier from Moorhead was found dead in her barracks last weekend in Seoul, South Korea, according to an article published Tuesday by the military newspaper Stars & Stripes. Pvt. 1st Class Marissa Jo Gloria, a combat engineer with the 2nd Infantry Division sustainment brigade, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical staff, according to Stars & Stripes. Gloria's death Saturday at Camp Humphreys remains under investigation, according to the article, which also cited a military spokesman who ruled out any connection to the coronavirus pandemic. "There was no illness, and she did not present any COVID-19 related symptoms," Lt. Col. Martyn Crighton told Stars & Stripes. Gloria joined the Army in Fargo, N.D, in January 2019, and she was assigned to the sustainment brigade after completing training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Gloria arrived at Camp Humphreys last April, according to Stars & Stripes, which cited an Army news release. According to Stars & Stripes, Lt. Col. Robert Dion, commander of the brigade's 11th Engineer Battalion, expressed condolences: "Marissa was a key member of the Jungle Cats Battalion. We are all deeply saddened by the loss and will keep her family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
Source: Pioneer Press
A female U.S. soldier who was stationed near the border with North Korea died earlier this month. Sgt. Damionia Lott died at an off-base hospital in South Korea on September 19, Stars and Stripes reported. She was a supply sergeant with the 70th Brigade Support Battalion, 210th Field Artillery Brigade at Camp Casey, the command said in a statement on Wednesday. The command said her death wasn't attributed to a training incident, but declined to provide additional details, according to Stars and Stripes. Today, the Thunder Family is deeply saddened by the loss of our sister in arms, SGT Damionia Lott," the post said. "She was an outstanding NCO in 70th Brigade Support Battalion and she truly will be missed." Lott, who was from Louisiana, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2016, but joined the Army four years later. She arrived at the battalion in South Korea over the summer. In a statement to Stars and Stripes, her unit said it was "deeply saddened and shocked" by her death. "Sergeant Lott was an excellent non-commissioned officer who always set the example and made coaching and mentoring others her top priority," said Command Sgt. Maj. Tiffany Montgomery, the support battalion's senior enlisted leader. Montgomery added: "She was well respected and greatly admired by the entire chain of command." Lott has been posthumously awarded the Army Commendation Medal.