Funeral arrangements are pending for the Iowa Falls native who was killed in Iraq this week. Naval reservist Jaime Jaenke died Monday after a roadside bomb exploded, the first Iowa woman killed in the Iraq War. A second sailor from Illinois was also killed in the bombing.
Jaenke grew up in Wisconsin where her former high school gym teacher Julie Grabner remembers her fondly. Grabner says “She was just one of those kids that you just loved to have in class because you could always count on her. She was always one of those kids that people just naturally gravitate towards because she has a calming effect and keep things moving and she motivates people. She’s a quiet motivator.”
The 29-year-old Jaenke is survived by a young daughter. Jaenke is reportedly the first Iowa woman killed in combat since World War Two.