‘He had a huge heart’: Dozens honor Sgt. Noah Tietjens at candlelight vigil

BELLEVUE, Neb. (KLKN) — The community of Bellevue celebrated a fallen U.S. soldier on Thursday night, honoring the life of Sgt. First Class Noah Tietjens.

Tietjens, a native of Bellevue, is one of six U.S. Army soldiers that was killed by a drone strike in Kuwait while supporting Operation Epic Fury.

Martial Arts International, a place where Tietjens taught Taekwondo, honored him in a way that he would have loved

They held a vigil for Tietjens on a day that would have been his 43rd birthday.

So, to honor the fallen comrade, they did 43 warmups. They also each lit a candle in remembrance of Tietjens.

“This candle represents Noah’s life,” said Grandmaster Julius Melegrito. “All these candles represent the lives Noah touched.”

The Mayor of Bellevue knows Tietjens is looking on to this martial arts family, but says the community is hurting.

“They are hurting for the family, they are hurting for friends,” said Mayor Rusty Hike. “They’re praying for Noah’s family.”

As a community, they say they felt it was important to gather on a mat where he trained to honor his life, his character and his lasting impact.

Members of this martial arts family feel this kind of remembrance is exactly what Tietjens would have wanted.

“I was a fellow martial artist with him. I’ve known Noah for five years. It’s been my honor to train with him,” said Maria Harder.

“He’s just a special person, and he had a huge heart. It shows with this huge gathering tonight.”

Now, people say they are deeply grateful for the love, prayers, and support shown to Noah’s family.

They have another, much larger community remembrance planned for a later date.