Soldier. Born in Springfield, Missouri, he was graduated from Glendale High School in 1987, where he was both a wrestler and football player. He enlisted in the military in January 2002 to pay for further education. After basic training he married his longtime sweetheart Melissa. Plans had been started to adopt her son Dakota and their son Carson was born just 28 days after he was was killed in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
Assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Givens was driving an Abrams M1A2 tank toward four fires that Iraqis set in Habbaniyah, a city west of Baghdad. Soldiers sometimes can put out fires when they drive over them with a tank. The riverbank apparently gave way and Jesse drowned. Givens had been in the military for more than a year, pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a soldier. He’d spent most of his adult life working as an asset protection manager for Sears and ShopKo in Missouri. Givens enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the ShopKo where he was working closed and its employees were laid off. At basic training, younger soldiers teased Givens good-naturedly, calling him "Grandpa" or "Pops." But Givens, a former high school wrestler and football player, did well in the rigorous training. He was surprised at his age that he could complete basic and do it without injuring himself or embarrassing himself.
(bio by: David McJonathan-Swarm)∼Army PFC. Givens was 34 years old and from Springfield, Mo; he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo; killed in Habbaniyah, Iraq, ehen his M-1A1 tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank in which he was parked gave way.
Assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Givens was driving an Abrams M1A2 tank toward four fires that Iraqis set in Habbaniyah, a city west of Baghdad. Soldiers sometimes can put out fires when they drive over them with a tank. The riverbank apparently gave way and Jesse drowned. Givens had been in the military for more than a year, pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a soldier. He’d spent most of his adult life working as an asset protection manager for Sears and ShopKo in Missouri. Givens enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the ShopKo where he was working closed and its employees were laid off. At basic training, younger soldiers teased Givens good-naturedly, calling him "Grandpa" or "Pops." But Givens, a former high school wrestler and football player, did well in the rigorous training. He was surprised at his age that he could complete basic and do it without injuring himself or embarrassing himself.
(bio by: David McJonathan-Swarm)∼Army PFC. Givens was 34 years old and from Springfield, Mo; he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo; killed in Habbaniyah, Iraq, ehen his M-1A1 tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank in which he was parked gave way.
Soldier. Born in Springfield, Missouri, he was graduated from Glendale High School in 1987, where he was both a wrestler and football player. He enlisted in the military in January 2002 to pay for further education. After basic training he married his longtime sweetheart Melissa. Plans had been started to adopt her son Dakota and their son Carson was born just 28 days after he was was killed in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
Assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Givens was driving an Abrams M1A2 tank toward four fires that Iraqis set in Habbaniyah, a city west of Baghdad. Soldiers sometimes can put out fires when they drive over them with a tank. The riverbank apparently gave way and Jesse drowned. Givens had been in the military for more than a year, pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a soldier. He’d spent most of his adult life working as an asset protection manager for Sears and ShopKo in Missouri. Givens enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the ShopKo where he was working closed and its employees were laid off. At basic training, younger soldiers teased Givens good-naturedly, calling him "Grandpa" or "Pops." But Givens, a former high school wrestler and football player, did well in the rigorous training. He was surprised at his age that he could complete basic and do it without injuring himself or embarrassing himself.
(bio by: David McJonathan-Swarm)∼Army PFC. Givens was 34 years old and from Springfield, Mo; he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo; killed in Habbaniyah, Iraq, ehen his M-1A1 tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank in which he was parked gave way.
Assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Givens was driving an Abrams M1A2 tank toward four fires that Iraqis set in Habbaniyah, a city west of Baghdad. Soldiers sometimes can put out fires when they drive over them with a tank. The riverbank apparently gave way and Jesse drowned. Givens had been in the military for more than a year, pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a soldier. He’d spent most of his adult life working as an asset protection manager for Sears and ShopKo in Missouri. Givens enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the ShopKo where he was working closed and its employees were laid off. At basic training, younger soldiers teased Givens good-naturedly, calling him "Grandpa" or "Pops." But Givens, a former high school wrestler and football player, did well in the rigorous training. He was surprised at his age that he could complete basic and do it without injuring himself or embarrassing himself.
(bio by: David McJonathan-Swarm)∼Army PFC. Givens was 34 years old and from Springfield, Mo; he was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo; killed in Habbaniyah, Iraq, ehen his M-1A1 tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank in which he was parked gave way.
