WHEREAS, United States Army Sergeant Jeffrey Alexander Reed, a beloved resident of Chesterfield County, was killed in the line of duty on March 2, 2009, while valiantly serving his country in Balad, Iraq; and

WHEREAS, a hard-working athlete, Jeffrey Reed played soccer at L.C. Bird High School, where he graduated in 2004; he was also a big hockey fan, especially of the Philadelphia Flyers; and

WHEREAS, shortly after graduation, Jeffrey Reed married his high school sweetheart, Ashley, and joined the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Reed was assigned to the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade based in Fort Hood, Texas; and

WHEREAS, when Sergeant Reed, a lifelong soccer fan, found that Iraqi children played soccer with deflated balls or kicked soda bottles, he wrote home to organize a big shipment of balls and would frequently play soccer when he got the chance; and

WHEREAS, well-liked and respected, Sergeant Reed had been in Iraq for more than 14 months and was only 15 days from coming home from his second deployment when a grenade hit the vehicle he was riding in; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Reed was devoted to his loving family, including his wife, Ashley; parents Mark and Mary Reed; his sister, Cynthia Reed; his brother, Sgt. Christopher Reed; and his numerous other family members and friends; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Jeffrey Reed's death is a reminder of the hazards faced daily by the thousands of Americans who serve in our armed forces overseas and whose devotion to duty places them in harm's way; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a courageous and patriotic Virginian, Sergeant Jeffrey Alexander Reed; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Sergeant Jeffrey Alexander Reed as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the General Assembly and the citizens of Virginia.