Monday marked the first Memorial Day for friends and family members of Staff Sergeant Matt Lewellen, a 27-year-old Green Beret from Kirksville, Missouri.
Lewellen was shot and killed by a Jordanian guard last November during an ambush outside a military base.
The Kirksville native was on his second deployment to the Middle Eastern country for a CIA mission to assist and train local soldiers.
However, a Jordanian guard opened fire on Lewellen's team, killing two other soldiers.
Despite the Jordanian government first saying the officers may not have followed proper protocol when entering the military base, the case is now being investigated as a crime and the officer will face prosecution.
On Memorial Day, friends and family members of Lewellen took the time to remember the fallen soldier.
John Blesz, a longtime friend of Lewellen, stopped by an exhibit at Union Station on Monday honoring Missouri soldiers killed in the line of duty.
"Waking up this morning, the first thing on my mind was definitely Matt," he explained. "This is a different day than most Memorial Days."
Blesz often smiled when describing his friend, who was a popular student, prom king and standout athlete during his time at Kirksville High School.
"He was always one of the guys that stole the show. He was always the funniest one of all of us," he said. "We loved him. He was so loved. He was such a well-liked and respected person."
The exhibit featured a picture of Lewellen posing in his official Army portrait.
Seeing the picture brought a range of reactions for Blesz, including laughter.
"I laugh at how he would have laughed at himself in that photo and how he would have had a hard time taking himself seriously," he said. "It's so funny. He would hate it."
While staring at the picture of Lewellen a few moments longer, Blesz said he also felt thankful in his heart.
"There are feelings of great gratitude when I see that photo," he explained.
Almost seven months after his friend's passing, Blesz said the legacy of Lewellen was still close to him.
"There is no greater man in my life that I knew than Matt. He was an incredible warrior and a true friend," Blesz explained. "I think we lost an American hero. We lost a friend, a brother, a son."
Following the tragedy last November, Blesz said he got a tattoo in his friend's honor.
The design, which is on Blesz's arm, features a symbol Lewellen was known to be fond of — a howling wolf.
"It's the howling wolf silhouette. That was always Matt's symbol," his friend said. "He would always call his friends 'the wolf pack'. He'd say he's the lone wolf."
Seeing his friend's picture alongside other soldiers on Memorial Day, Blesz said he appreciated Lewellen's sacrifices even more.
"Seeing him up here with all these other faces that have that sacrifice is how he would most want to be memorialized, I think," Blesz said. "I think having a friend that has done it has dramatically changed my world view and dramatically changed how I see that sacrifice."Blesz said. "I think having a friend that has done it has dramatically changed my world view and dramatically changed how I see that sacrifice."
Now knowing the pain of losing a friend, Blesz said he understood the meaning of Memorial Day even more.
"For some people, it's not the start of summer it's this opening of a wound," he explained. "It's a time to heal and a time to remember, be somber, thoughtful and thankful. It's a completely different day for me now."
Several of Lewellen's family members attended a memorial ceremony at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville on Monday.
His parents, sister, and girlfriend traveled to the Washington, D.C. area to attend a special ceremony at Arlington Nation Ceremony.
