Staff Sgt. James “Jamie” Santos loved his time in the U.S. Army. When his remains were inurned at Arlington National Cemetery on March 27, 2025, it was no surprise that so many of his fellow soldiers attended the service. Many had served with him in the Persian Gulf War, Haiti and Somalia.
U.S. Army Chaplain (Capt.) Timothy Stokes spoke about Santos’ love of surfing, football, golf and, especially, the Army. “He loved his time in the Army, being a soldier and even speaking with the various chiefs of staff over the years,” Stokes said. He also highlighted Santos’ military family legacy, noting that he "joins his father, grandmother and grandfather here at Arlington National Cemetery.”
After the ceremony, Santos’ mother, Pamela, said her son regretted leaving the military: “He said, ‘I wish I had stayed in because I loved being a soldier,’ and he did,” she explained. Santos’ stepfather, Kenneth Rubin, added that his dream was to be buried at Arlington.
Matt O’Keefe, who served with Santos in Somalia, remembered him leading a two-man team into a remote location outside of Mogadishu to support Marines and French Foreign Legion soldiers. As a young sergeant, “Jamie absolutely crushed it,” O’Keefe said.
Matthew Davis, who served with Santos as a psychological operations specialist, asked him to be a groomsman at his wedding. “We did a lot of stuff together, and Jamie was always willing to do something bigger than him,” Davis said. “He wanted to serve the greater good.”
Vietnam veteran Michael Davison Jr., a friend of Santos’ parents, mentored Santos during the last years of his life and spoke to a veterans’ group he had organized. “I would meet him for lunch, and we just stayed in touch over the years, even as his health failed,” Davison remembered. “He loved to talk about his time in the Army.”
Chaplain Stokes concluded the service with words Santos might have liked to have heard: “In life, he honored the flag; now, this flag will honor him.”
