January 5, 1975 – September 6, 2022
Graveside services with Military Honors for David C. Jensen, 47, will be held at Greenhill Cemetery, Lemmon, at 10:30 a.m. MT on Friday, October 7. Pastor Randy Eisenbeisz will officiate with Brattvet Green American Legion Post #66. Following the graveside service, all are invited to meet at the Legion Hall for a time of fellowship, sharing, and a luncheon.
David C. Jensen was born to Eldon and Mary Jean (Steinheuser) Jensen on January 5, 1975, in Rapid City. Dave attended Lemmon Public Schools and was proud to be on the undefeated Lemmon Cowboy football team in 1993. He also qualified for the SD State High School Track Finals in four events his senior year. Many summer days were spent at the Jensen Cabin on Shadehill Lake.
Dave met the love of his life, Amber Christine Beld of Bison, in his teens and they began dating during high school. In the fall of 1993, Dave enlisted in the U.S. Army. He reported for basic training at Fort Benning, GA in August of 1994. He was named the Honor Graduate of his class in November and graduated from Jump School before leaving Ft. Benning. He was transferred to the 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, WA. While with the Ranger Regiment he received advanced training around the world.
Dave and Amber were married in Washington on June 17, 1995. Their children, Jaleigh Bliss and Colten David, were born while the family was stationed at Ft. Lewis.
In 2000, Dave graduated from West Virginia Assessment and Selection Operator Training Course and was assigned to B Squadron at Ft. Bragg, NC, where he served with distinction with the U.S. Special Operations Command. The family relocated to Fayetteville, NC, and then soon after to Whispering Pines, NC where they lived the rest of their lives.
Dave felt a huge calling to defend America, the country he loved so much. In October of 2001, he participated in the first military operation in Afghanistan. He was aboard the USS Kitty Hawk between deployments behind enemy lines. He completed several combat deployments while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom while on active duty and as a civilian advisor.
After he was honorably discharged from the Army in 2004, Dave continued to consult with the U.S. Military joining the Wexford Group, Inc. serving with the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group. He later worked in Operations for the Joint Special Operations Command at Ft. Bragg.
In 2012, David was deployed to Afghanistan as an operational adviser for the Warfare Group alongside the 82nd Airborne Division. On September 10, 2012, David and Company C were set to fly out of Bagram Airfield with Afghan National Security Forces to conduct a partnered air assault operation in Parwan Province. During preflight, their Chinook helicopter was struck by an enemy rocket which set the fuel tanks on fire. David evacuated the wounded from the wreckage, saving the lives of four fellow soldiers. For his actions that night he was awarded the Medal for Valor, the highest civilian award given by the Department of Defense.
Dave passed away at his home in Whispering Pines on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. He is survived by his children, Jaleigh Bliss Jensen (Alex) of Sandy, UT and Colten David Jensen (Dina) of Raleigh, NC; his parents, Eldon and Mary Jean Jensen of Lemmon; brothers Derek (Mitz) Jensen and family of Marion, IA, and Greg (Tonya) Jensen and family of Hettinger, ND; sister Kari Jensen and Kyle Thomas and family of Woodbury, MN; his mother-in-law, Beth Hulm of Bison; brothers-in-law Jason Beld, Ryan Beld, Jared Beld, and Kirk Hulm; sister-in-law Kendra (Pete) Theobald; and many cousins, aunts and uncles and extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Amber Beld Jensen; his beloved chocolate miniature Dachshund, Greta Bean; grandparents J.P. and Ida Jensen and Milton and Sylvia Steinheuser; and uncles, aunts, other relatives and too many military brothers.