‘The kind of guy you’ll remember’: Bellevue business honors the life of Sgt. First Class Noah Tietjens

BELLEVUE, Neb. (KLKN) — The community of Bellevue is remembering a local hero.

Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens gave his life in the Middle East while serving in the United States Army.

Tietjens was a black-belt instructor at Martial Arts International, where he dedicated much of his time to teaching others.

Owners Julius and Faith Melegrito said his presence was an inspiration to all.

“One of the most amazing human beings I know, who dedicated his life not just to the country but also during his free time,” said Faith Melegrito. “He dedicated his life to the students and the youth of our community.”

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Tietjens’ body will be flown to Dover Air Base in Delaware. From there, his body will arrive back home in Nebraska, one final time.

Many described him as a natural leader, someone who was always willing to lend a helping hand.

“That’s the kind of guy you’ll remember, you’ll never easily forget,” said Julius Melegrito. “Because of the impact he makes, not only to the community he belongs with, but to every person he comes in contact with. I think that’s a great character to have.”

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Melegrito shared one of the final texts he received from Tietjens, as he was planning to do a Zoom call to teach a class.

He said the message embodied how much he cared for his community, even in his last days overseas.

“He says, ‘I will try to be on there tonight, February 22nd, but I can’t guarantee I will be there. We are in the process of moving to a different location and not sure how long it will take,'” Melegrito described. “So even though he was overseas, he trains and tries to keep up.”

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The Martial Arts School started a GoFundMe to help give back to the ones Tietjen leaves behind.

Proceeds go toward building a college fund for Tietjens’ son.

“We wanted to honor Mr. Noah by providing for, if not the most important person, but one of the most important people in his life, his son,” said Faith Melegrito.

The school is holding a candlelight mat ceremony on Thursday, March 5, to honor what would have been Tietjens’ 43rd birthday.