“That was their method of baby-sitting,” he said.

Then Barb quickly added, “They used to hire the neighbor girl to change his diapers.”

Jacob was also a generous person who strongly believed in his mission in Iraq. When his parents brought up their doubts about the war in Iraq after his first tour, Jacob responded by saying they never heard about the good things that were happening there.

He talked about grateful merchants at shops were he did business, children who loved to play games with soldiers and women who were able to own businesses and wear the clothes they wanted to wear, Charlie Thompson said.

Barb Thompson also talked about the things her son did for fellow soldiers. She used a Purple Heart he had earned when he was wounded during his first tour as an example. Jacob gave the medal to a friend who had received more serious injuries but hadn’t been chosen for the award.

“We have the paperwork, but we don’t have the pin,” she said.

When asked if Jacob ever worried about being in Iraq, Charlie and Barb both said he never did. He knew he had a dangerous job, but he was confident his unit was prepared for anything.

But he also knew bad things can happen in a war zone, Charlie Thompson added. Then he described one of the last conversations he had with his son.

“He said, ‘I really love you guys,” Charlie Thompson said. “It was almost like he was saying, ‘This might be the last time. I just want you to know I really love you guys.’”