The worst possible news out of Iraq for one Amador County mother was received Saturday afternoon when the family of 21 year old Private First Class Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins was notified of his death while fighting for his country in Iraq. Serving with the US Army, Jay-D was a 2005 graduate of Northstar Independence Study, the Amador County Unified Independent Study Program. Ornsby Adkins and two other soldiers died Apr. 28 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. Jay-D was newly married to his wife Ashley in March. JD’s hometown of Ione has reacted with sadness and shock and has established a makeshift memorial to the soldier the downtown area. The Board of Supervisors also declared yesterday that all the County flags be flown at half staff in honor of Jay-D and his family and the sacrifice they have made for our Country.