Jacob Dennis Field

this article was published by the Marietta Daily Journal on March 25, 2011, when the field was named for Jacob. 

KENNESAW - A Powder Springs soldier who died in the war in Afghanistan was honored Thursday night at his alma mater with the renaming of its athletic field.

The field at North Cobb Christian School off Old Highway 41 in Kennesaw was renamed the Jacob Dennis Field. A bronze, fallen soldier monument featuring a helmet, rifle and a pair of boots was also unveiled in his memory at the field.

A 2005 NCCS graduate, Army Private First Class Jacob Dennis was 22 years old when he died of injuries suffered while serving in Afghanistan last summer.

His parents, Tony and Renee Dennis, brother, Sam, and sister, Molly … accepted replicas of the monument and an American flag flown over the school at around the time of his death. His mother is an administrative assistant at the independent Christian school.

"It means a whole lot," said Sam, who attended NCCS. "It just shows you the quality of people here."

As the one-year anniversary of his older brother's death approaches, Sam said his family has continued to receive support from relatives and friends. Family members visit his grave often, he said.

"You have a bad day and you start thinking about things, but then you think about Jesus loves him, Jesus loves us and that we're going to see him again," Sam said. "It gives us a lot of hope."

Jacob, who enlisted in the Army in 2006, was injured on June 30, 2010, in a weapons system incident in Zabul Province, according to the Pentagon. After the incident, he was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he died.

"The thing about being a mortar man is that when the base is under attack by opposing fire, the men firing the mortars have to be out in the open areas of the base firing on the enemy," said NCCS Athletic Director Dave Dorsey, who addressed the ceremony's crowd over a public address system. "They can't retreat to the bunkers or shoot from a safer area. That is the nature of this type of artillery."

Jacob was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington state, and was nearing the end of a 12-month deployment in Afghanistan when he died. His death occurred shortly after the first anniversary of his marriage to his wife, Allysha Clark.

The ceremony on Thursday included a Georgia Army National Guard honor guard, a prayer by Burnt Hickory Baptist Church Pastor Mike Stevens, the singing of "God Bless America" by Will Goodwin, and a moment of silence.

Head of School Todd Clingman said NCCS decided to rename the field after Jacob to honor his service. "You see schools name things after big donors," Clingman said. "What bigger investment can a kid make than to give his life for his country?"