Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Anishka Calder | Commander Mark Schwartzel, left, of San Diego and commander U.S. Navy Customs...... read more read more
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By Staff Sgt. Anishka J. Calder
1st Sustainment Command (Theater) Public Affairs Office
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Sailors assigned to the Naval Customs Battalion TANGO of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group Kuwait, and other service members, gathered to pay their final respects to a fallen comrade at the chapel, Jan. 5.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Dec. 31, 2007 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident outside Kuwait City, Dec. 24.
"Petty Officer Jeffries was a professional sailor dedicated to the Navy," said Cmdr. Mark Schwartzel, the commanding officer for Navy Customs Battalion TANGO, and a native of San Diego. "I know he served his Navy and the United States of America with honor, integrity and pride ... I know that by his actions he contributed to a safer world here and at home."
"We had a father-daughter type of relationship ... he's a little bit older and he's always trying to help me figure out what's right" said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaclyn King, 23, an administrative assistant assigned to NavELSG. "I miss him teasing me. He used to always put spiders on my desk ... but on Christmas Eve before this (the accident) happened, this time he left me my Christmas gift ... and he's not going to be able to come back and I can't tell him thank you ... and I just miss him."
Jeffries deployed to Kuwait in October 2007 in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and worked for the Navy Customs Battalion TANGO under NavELSG as a mass communications specialist for Navy public affairs.
"He was fully engaged in the public affairs mission and loved the interaction with both Sailors and Soldiers alike," Schwartzel said. "He knew the risks he was heading into here in Kuwait. He had trained and was prepared for this mission."
"Petty Officer Jeffries was a Christian and had faith in the Lord," said Master Chief Petty Officer Reed Van Wagoner, a native of Provo, Utah. "He demonstrated his faith by living the example the Lord set for us. He genuinely loved and worried about his fellow shipmates and those he served with."
Jeffries entered the military in 1984 and served in the Coast Guard, the Army and eventually the Navy. During his last assignment in the Navy Reserve with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, he maintained and operated small boats and equipment used by the SEALs. In his civilian life, he was a high school physical education teacher with the Department of Education in Honolulu.
"He believed in the saying 'Everyone has to start somewhere,'" said 1st Lt. Greg Suguitan, a native of Lanai, Hawaii. "You have to make your mark, make strides, and prove yourself. That's why he loved to teach."
Suguitan, who has been a friend of the Jeffries family for ten years, referred to Jeffries as a fountain of youth who loved to be the father of the bunch, the older brother, or the uncle that everyone wants.
"We'll all remember Victor Jeffries as a devoted husband, father, Sailor, teacher, mentor and friend," Suguitan added. "Like Vic, I'm a believer in the saying 'Everything happens for a reason' ... It's all a part of the Lord's master plan. All we can do is look out for one another, be good to one another and love each other. Just like the way Vic did."
King expressed her gratitude for having known Jeffries and for the impact that he made in her life.
"I am very thankful to have been able to serve in the Navy with him," said King. "His spirit has blessed me and made me a stronger person, and I'm thankful for it."
Van Wagoner assured the service members celebrating Jeffries' life that he would always be a part of them and encouraged them to follow his example of love and kindness.
"Remember, we came to this earth to experience life and this is what Petty Officer Jeffries did," said Van Wagoner. "It was time for him to return to our creator where he is in His presence. He will now be our advocate in the world to come."
Jeffries' awards include the Navy Reserve Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Service Medal with mobilization device and bronze hourglass, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Jeffries and his two daughters, Keshia and Chantel.
| Date Taken: | 01.05.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.05.2008 12:09 |
| Story ID: | 15193 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 1,468 |
| Downloads: | 969 |
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