Who is Ned Gillen from Moon Over Manifest and what is their importance?

Ned Gillen is a young man who lives in Manifest. Ned was once an orphan who came to Manifest on the orphan train. Ned does not know where he came from or what happened to his birth parents. This causes Ned a great deal of difficulty, especially when the war breaks out and people begin to question his nationality and his commitment to his adopted country. Ned decides to join the military to prove his patriotism, but he is soon killed in the war. Ned's friendship and death are the catalysts that first bring Jinx to Manifest, where he will find a true home and the reason he flees to prevent condemnation for his part in Ned's death.