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'He was my Prince Charming'

Love story cut tragically short by suicide bomber

By Judi Villa, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 17, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Nick Hartshorn, right, talks with Launa Stiles at her home in Highlands Ranch on Sunday, as friends and family gathered to offer their support following the death of Stiles' husband, Jon, a National Guardsman killed Thursday in Afghanistan.

Brian Lehmann © The Rocky

Nick Hartshorn, right, talks with Launa Stiles at her home in Highlands Ranch on Sunday, as friends and family gathered to offer their support following the death of Stiles' husband, Jon, a National Guardsman killed Thursday in Afghanistan.

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Jon Stiles acts as if he will kiss a fish while on a fishing trip.

Jon Stiles acts as if he will kiss a fish while on a fishing trip.

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Every time Launa Stiles drives into her garage, she sees the giant red heart.

It's from a Valentine's Day when money was tight. Her husband Jon cleaned out the garage and drew the heart, with an arrow piercing the center, on a cardboard box.

That's the kind of man Jon Stiles was - goofy and sweet.

"He was the love of my life," Launa said Sunday. "He was my real Prince Charming."

Theirs was a true love story, until it was cut tragically short last week by war.

Jon, 38, was killed Thursday by a suicide bomber as he served with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan.

"This was not part of the plan," Launa said. "We were going to grow old together."

They met through Launa's cousin, and three months after she stood him up for their first date (because she was in a car accident), he called again. "Remember me?" he asked, then took her to her favorite breakfast spot.

They fell in love and got engaged two months later. A year after that, on Nov. 18, 2000, they married.

The rest was supposed to be history. It involved a cabin and retirement and all the simple things that meant so much to Jon.

"I'll miss his presence," Launa said. "He was this powerful presence. We were one person."

At the couple's home Sunday, Jon's family and friends talked about the guy with the constant smile who loved to fish and adored his wife above all.

"He truly cherished her," said Launa's mother, Margie Docken. "That is something I respected a lot, and I loved him for that."

Jon Stiles, 38, was a "soldier's soldier" who dressed like an Army man as a kid and dreamed of joining the military. He joined the Marines first, then the Army and, after he met Launa, decided to give civilian life a shot.

Jon tried school and the family business and even helicopter training, but none of it was a good fit. So, last summer, Jon enlisted in the Colorado National Guard.

"His eyes lit up and he engaged in life, and he was driven," Launa said. "I supported him 100 percent."

When he found out he was going to Afghanistan, Jon immersed himself in studying the culture and teaching himself Arabic. He was attached to the Louisiana National Guard.

In October, Jon's lungs and vocal cords were injured when a suicide bomber rammed a military vehicle and it exploded. His voice was raspy after that. Still, Jon went back to Afghanistan, and Launa prayed.

Almost every day, the couple would chat online when she was starting her day and he was ending his. Their last chat was Wednesday: I'll talk to you tomorrow, they said.

Instead, three servicemen came to Launa's office. They didn't have to say anything.

"You're looking at them, and it's your worst nightmare. I just hit the wall and I fell to the floor," Launa said. "I couldn't breathe."

"Just knowing that he's not coming home, he's not going to call, he's not coming through the door, we're not counting down anymore," Launa said, tears welling in her eyes. "It's weird."

Chris Newell, Jon's best friend, said Jon was the type of guy who flew to Colorado from Ohio to surprise him when his daughter was born. He also was the guy who knew all the best fishing holes and wouldn't miss a chance to go. And it wasn't about whether you brought home fish; it was just about being on the water.

Good friends. Good times. The simple things.

"You could think of 10,000 different adjectives to describe him," Newell said. "But at the end of the day, he was just a great man."

Funeral services are pending, but Jon will be buried at Fort Logan with military honors.

"He didn't go there to be a hero," Launa said, "but he came home a hero. He's my hero."

Comments

  • November 17, 2008

    1:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sweetater writes:

    Thank-you Jon for your service and thank-you launa for sharing your memories with us. Write your memories in stone and your fears in sand.

  • November 17, 2008

    2:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Lisal writes:

    Thanks Jon. I know there is nothing I can say to make his family and friends feel better so I hope they will accept this hug that I am sending to them. He will be waiting for you when you go home and that is what I believe and it helped me when I lost a loved one and still does help me when I get sad. I can almost see his face when he sees me coming through those gates and that makes me smile. A sad smile for now but it will become a happy smile when that day comes.

  • November 17, 2008

    10:38 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sarah35 writes:

    I am so sorry for your loss. Jon was a special person. We went to high school together. I can understand how he could become a "Prince Charming", he was always, so caring and aware of others. He will be greatly missed. Please know that my heart goes out to you and your families. God Bless You.