The Daily Advance -- A soldier who died in combat in Iraq last week is being remembered by many of his family ties from the Albemarle area.
Sgt. Jeffrey A. Reed, 23, of Chesterfield, Va., died March 2 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a grenade in Taji, Iraq, according to information released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Reed was serving with the 411th Military Police Company out of Fort Hood, Texas.
and his grandmother Ruth Russell Manus.
“I contacted them,” she said. “They kept me in touch.”
Many organizations have taken steps to support the family and honor Reed’s service to the country.
Twiford said the Patriot Guard Riders are planning to attend the funeral today in Chesterfield, Va. A Web site operated by a Patriot Guard group confirmed the organization’s plans to attend the funeral.
The Patriot Guard Riders are a group of motorcyclists (with a few non-riding supporters) who hold American flags — and sometimes sing patriotic songs — at funerals and graveside services for American military personnel killed in combat. The group attends at the family’s request.
The restaurant where Reed and his wife of four years first met is serving a special meal for family and friends, Twiford said.
Reed was in his second deployment to Iraq and his older brother currently is deployed for the second time to Afghanistan, according to Twiford.
Twiford said Reed, a soccer fan, had noticed Iraqi children playing soccer with paper bags and soda bottles when he first arrived in the country. He organized friends and family back home to collect soccer balls for the children.
When he died, Reed was 15 days away from completing his second 15-month tour in Iraq, his father said yesterday.
Reed was assigned to the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, in Fort Hood, Texas.
Reed joined the Army after graduating from L.C. Bird High School in 2004. He was followed that year by his brother, Sgt. Christopher Reed, 25, now a chemical weapons specialist serving in Afghanistan.
"I think a lot of it had to do with 9/11 and service to country and what we were going through in defending the nation," said their father, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier.
Reed's father said he is comforted by conversations he has had in the past several days with soldiers who worked with his son.
"He was just beloved. Three of his soldiers called me yesterday on speakerphone to express their sadness and to let us know how much he meant to them. They told me they were devastated. That meant a lot to us as parents," he said.
The soldier also leaves behind a wife, Ashley Robbins Reed; his mother, Mary Reed; and a sister, Cynthia Reed, all of Chesterfield.
A funeral will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Chesterfield Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, 3050 W. Hundred Road. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Park in Chester.
Contributions to the Jeffrey Reed Memorial Scholarship Fund may be sent to P.O. Box 55, Chesterfield, VA 23832.
==Another news story==
HAMPTON-- Sergeant Jeffrey Reed of Chesterfield was just 15 days away from ending his second tour through Iraq when his vehicle was struck by a grenade in Taji, Iraq.
A 2004 graduate of L.C. Bird High School, the military police officer wanted one thing from his family in the States when he was in Iraq, soccer balls, to pass out to the children of Iraq. Family members tell 13News, the 23-year-old was bothered watching the kids kick around trash and soda cans, and wanted to help give them a real childhood.
So, his mother, two soccer coaches and two staff members at Kecoughtan High School did just that and shipped over soccer balls and some candy. Reed told his family he wanted to inspire the children of Iraq with soccer the same way he was growing up in Chesterfield County.
The sergeant is survived by his wife Ashley Robbins Reed -- as well as his mother, father, sister and a brother -- who is a chemical weapons specialist serving in Afghanistan.
A funeral service for Reed will take place Tuesday, March 9, at the Chesterfield Chapel of J.T. Morris and Son Funeral Home. A burial service will then be held at Sunset Memorial Park in Chester, VA.