Jason A. Santora

Gina Santora is the Gold Star Sister of Sergeant Jason Santora, who was killed in action on April 23, 2010 in Afghanistan. Jason served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and was the recipient of numerous honors, including the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Jason was born on March 11, 1985 and was very close with his sister Gina. Growing up in Long Island, New York, they would often enjoy sports together, playing basketball in the street and watching Wrestle Mania. Jason also played baseball growing up, with his father, Gary Santora, as the coach.

Jason enlisted in the US Army in 2006 at age twenty. Gina explained that she was apprehensive about her brother enlisting, stating, “I didn’t want him to go.” She recounted that she couldn’t fathom the idea of him being hurt or killed but understood that he was passionate about military service. Jason completed his training at Fort Moore, then known as Fort Benning, in Georgia. There, he went to One Station Unit Training and the Basic Airborne Course before completing the Ranger Indoctrination Program, earning him a spot in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He later earned his Ranger Tab by completing the US Army Ranger Course. When asked about why Jason wanted to be an Army Ranger, Gina explained, “he was crazy” and a “rambunctious risk taker.”

During his four years of service, Jason had four deployments: two to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and two to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Sergeant Jason Santora was killed in action on April 23, 2010 in the Puli Alam District of Logar Province, Afghanistan. As a Rifle Squad Team Leader, Jason was fatally wounded while raiding a compound housing a high value target. He was transferred back to the US shortly after and was buried in Calverton National Cemetery. His mother Theresa Santora and his father Gary Santora are also buried there next to their son.

In the years following her brother’s death, Gina moved to Connecticut where she now works as a nurse. She explained, “I have a good life…[but] it’s missing one thing.” Despite the absence of her brother, Jason is memorialized in many ways. In the interview, Gina shared a quote from one of Jason’s letters that he wrote to her from Basic Training, which she has tattooed on her arm. It reads, in his handwriting, “You are the most important person in my life, too. Make sure you always remember that. Love always, Big Bro.” The letter was dated April 23, 2006, exactly four years before Jason was killed in action.

Additionally, Jason’s community came together to commemorate him. In 2012, a memorial was established at the Medford Athletic Complex in Medford, New York, where Jason played baseball growing up. There is also a street named after him: “SGT. Jason Santora Way.”

Gina concluded her interview by sharing Jason’s message to future generations: “Don’t take yourself too seriously. Laugh. Enjoy your life.” And it’s a message she believes strongly in, too.

Additional Resources:

• Jason Santora Obituary
• Rangers Remembered
• Military Times Honor the Fallen
• Travis Manion Foundation
• US Army Special Operations
• The Hall of Valor Project
• Patch.com – Farmingville Native Killed in Afghanistan
• Patch.com – Memorial Unveiled
• Patch.com – Remembering a Local Hero 
• Patch.com – Sachem Unveils U.S. Armed Forces Garden
• Ledger-Enquirer.com
• Inside the Wire
• ArmyRanger.com
• Find A Grave
• YouTube – “I Love You Jay” by Gina Santora
• YouTube – Medford Athletic Complex Dedication
• YouTube – Memorial Fundraiser at CrossFit on the Square
• Town of Brookhaven Unveils Memorial