Staff Sgt. Edward Reynolds, Jr.
U.S. Army 12/30/78-09/26/06 Groves, TX U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. was an 8-year Army veteran. He is a native of Port Arthur, Texas, and he was a 1997 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School. Family was the most important thing to Staff Sergeant Reynolds. Friends knew him as the man that kept them out of trouble, pushing them to succeed in life. And his country knew him as a defender of our freedoms. In December 2005, Staff Sergeant Reynolds was deployed to Iraq, worlds away. During the next 10 months, assigned to the U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Staff Sergeant Reynolds dodged bullets, IEDs, and Iraqi outlaws throughout the Baghdad desert. But on September 26, Staff Sergeant Reynolds and a fellow soldier were crossing a Baghdad bridge in a military convoy when that bridge collapsed, plunging their vehicle underwater, trapping both soldiers inside. 27-year-old Staff Sergeant Reynolds and his colleague were killed in action, becoming victims in the struggle for Iraqi freedom. A decorated soldier, Staff Sergeant Reynolds was the recipient of the Combat Infantry Badge, the Kosovo Campaign Medal. He was also awarded the Iraqi Combat Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Bronze Star. He was a lifelong member of the Borden Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. And like his mother and father, Staff Sergeant Reynolds had a devout faith in his Almighty God, believing that everything he was given was a gift by Him. American citizens are born into the privilege of freedom, and we must remember that the sacrifice given by Staff Sergeant Reynolds and all American warriors is responsible for the continuation of this great Nation. Staff Sergeant Reynolds chose to protect the freedom that he was born into from the violent militants robbing nations of life and liberty. So God bless Staff Sergeant Reynolds and his family.