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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (January 5, 2008) - Sailors assigned to the
Naval Customs Battalion Tango of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics
Support Group Kuwait, and other servicemembers, gathered to pay
their final respects to a fallen comrade at a 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 10
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 servicemembers 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.
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