A plaque in honor of Jennifer Moreno, who died in the Afghanistan war. Photo Amos Gregory

A memorial service was conducted on May 15 at the University of San Francisco for Jennifer Moreno, who died in Afghanistan October 6, 2013.

She was a daughter, a sister, a nurse, a soldier and another unfortunate casualty of the 13-year war in Afghanistan.

Moreno was born June 25, 1988. She attended Logan High School in San Diego where she grew up with her mother, two sisters and a brother who is also in the Army. She graduated in 2009 from University of San Francisco with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

While at college she was a member of the campus ROTC, a program that pays students’ education expenses in exchange for military service after graduation.

Fulfilling her obligation, Moreno joined the Army in 2009 and became one of the few female officers selected to the newly created Army Cultural Support Team, whose primary task is to engage female populations in combat zones. These female support teams are assigned to Army Special Forces units, which conduct some of the most dangerous missions in Afghanistan. Moreno was attached to the 75th U.S. Ranger battalion when she was killed.

She died when an Improvised Explosive Device exploded near her position, while her unit was conducting a raid on a Taliban bomb-making factory in Zhair, Afghanistan. That explosion not only took her life, but also shattered the lives of her colleagues, friends and family members thousands of miles away in her hometown of San Diego, and her adopted city of San Francisco.

Her sister, Jearaldy Moreno, travelled to the memorial service from San Diego. She sat quietly, flanked by university and military officials, while listening to stories of her sister. She walked with downcast eyes as she was led from an amphitheater into the School of Nursing building where a photograph of her slain sister was unveiled.

Moreno’s death came during the time of the federal shutdown of 2013, which resulted in the sequester and cessation of burial benefits to families of America’s fallen soldiers. Because of the shutdown no federal resources were available to help Moreno’s family pay for her burial.

The family had to seek financial assistance from a nonprofit organization called the Fischer House to bury Moreno. It’s a sad testament to a war that has torn the fabric of the American nation, as family members scramble to find ways to bury their dead sons and daughters.

Jennifer Moreno’s story is a tale of a young trailblazer who broke through many barriers to become one of a few female members of the U.S. Special Forces community. Her story is also a tale of a nation that is failing its military members as it asks them and their families to make the ultimate sacrifice.