SFC JEANNE (HAMILTON) BALCOMBE
55th Military Police Company
SFC
Balcombe was shot and killed at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, by one of
her own soldiers. The suspect, who was drunk at the time, was upset
that SFC Balcombe had ordered a blood test on one of the suspect's
friends. He then overpowered a South Korean soldier stationed at the
base and took his sidearm. He shot SFC Balcombe three times and
fled. He was captured later in the day by Korean National Police
officers and subsequently convicted of the crime.
A tribute written by SGM Joseph W. Brundy in Korea after attending SFC Jeanne Balcombe's memorial service at Camp Red Cloud, Korea on Tuesday Aug 24, 1999:
Today I attended a memorial service for
SFC Jeanne M. Balcombe, 1st Platoon, 55th
Military Police Company, Camp Red Cloud, Korea. I was not present
because I knew her personally; I was there because a fellow
noncommissioned officer had lost her life tragically. As I sat in the
Balcony of the over crowded chapel and looked down at the Kevlar helmet
resting on the highly polished boots, I realized that life is truly
short. We never know when our last day on earth will be.
The army lost a leader the other day.
If you were sitting in that chapel today you would have come to know
SFC Balcombe. You would have felt the respect and love her fellow
soldiers have for her. In the military we learn to deal with death and
I am sure being a member of the Military Police Corps, SFC Balcombe
knew her life was on the line daily. As I
listened to soldier after soldier describe her, it became crystal clear
that SFC Balcombe was a dedicated soldier and knew that losing her life
for her country was the ultimate sacrifice. I left that chapel thinking
this NCO was the epitome of a noncommissioned officer. She trained,
loved, and respected the soldiers she was placed in charge. She held
them to high standards, but never lost sight of the fact that her
soldiers were human beings, thus treating them with dignity.
SLAIN USFK MILITARY POLICEMAN
POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED SOLDIERS MEDAL
SEOUL (USFK) Sept. 1, 1999 – Sgt. 1st Class Jeanne M. Balcombe, of the 1st Platoon, 55th Military Police Company, was posthumously awarded the Soldiers Medal for heroism in the face of danger. Her husband, Harvey "Mike" Balcombe, was presented the medal during funeral services held Aug. 31 in her hometown, McMinneville, Ore.
While on duty Aug. 21, Balcombe's quick thinking and selfless response safeguarded and protected others at the Troop Medical Clinic at Camp Red Cloud, Korea. She placed herself in harm’s way between three soldiers and an armed gunman.
Balcombe demonstrated her absolute dedication to the safety of her fellow soldiers at the cost of her own life.
"Sergeant Balcombe was a respected and beloved leader in this battalion," Lt. Col. Donna Boltz, 94th Military Police Battalion commander, said. "She stands a hero in the military police branch, where our motto is ‘Assist, Protect, Defend.’"
"The thoughts and prayers of the members of this battalion are with her family," Boltz said. "We want them to know how much her fellow soldiers will miss her."
Her peers, subordinates and leaders alike, praised her dedication to her soldiers at the memorial service that was conducted on Aug. 24, at Memorial Chapel, Yongsan, Korea.
Balcombe is survived by her husband, and two daughters; Kristin and Alice. She began her military career as a parachute rigger with the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. In 1988, she reclassified as a military police officer and has since served at Fort McClellan, Ala.; Bamberg, Germany; and Fort Lewis, Wash. She arrived in Korea in April of this year and was assigned as the platoon sergeant, First Platoon.
She has received three Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, four Good Conduct Medals and the Parachutist and Rigger’s Parachutist Badges.
Army News Service - May 10, 2000 - November 12, 2001
Two military policewomen, both killed in the line of duty in 1999, are being remembered May 13 during a ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Sgt. 1st Class Jeanne Balcombe and Pvt. Tekoa Brown became the first two U.S. Army Military Police Corps soldiers whose names are engraved on the memorial.
Workmen sandblasted 280 names onto the memorial's panels last week, in a manner of recognition similar to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Of those, 134 belong to peace officers killed last year.
According to memorial officials, they join seven members of the Army Criminal Investigation Command and 27 law enforcement officers from the other military services.
There are now 15,139 names inscribed in the low, sloping panels that ring the plaza. Only those peace officers who die in the performance of their duties are noted with their names etched in the marble.
Balcombe, 33, from McMinneville, Ore., was a member of the 55th Military Police Company at Camp Red Cloud, Korea. She was shot and killed August 21 at the Troop Medical Clinic at Camp Red Cloud in an altercation with one of the soldiers in her unit.
According to published accounts, Balcombe placed herself between the armed gunman and three other soldiers. She is survived by her husband and two daughters.
Brown, 21, and a member of the U.S. Army Transportation Center and Fort Eustis Military Police Company, died May 10, 1999. Her death came as a result of injuries suffered in an auto accident nine days earlier as she was responding to an emergency call at Fort Eustis. In the Army just eight months when she died, she is survived by her daughter.
The memorial, dedicated in 1991, is located on Judiciary Square, a wide plaza tucked in among courthouses and municipal buildings just blocks from the Capitol.
The annual candlelight ceremony to dedicate the additions occurs during National Police Week. As part of the remembrance, the newly added names are read aloud and hand-held candles illuminate the plaza.
