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Sergeant escapes drugs, violence

May-21-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

We must have missed this one when it was first published.

[Link to Article] (Full text provided below, but the original includes a photo.)

Sgt. Corey Reeves grew up surrounded by drugs and constant violence, but he was able to escape and is now serving his country in Iraq as a team leader in the Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

“When I was just a kid, I knew people getting killed by gangs,” said Reeves from southwest Oklahoma City. “It was hard growing up in that kind of environment, but I knew I didn’t want to be around it for the rest of my life.”

Although he dropped out of high school to get away from it all, Reeves received his general education degree in 2000 and joined the Army.

Since December, Reeves has been in northern Iraq conducting infantry missions to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. He leads soldiers during patrols, raids and other operations.

“I have the best job in the Army, because we’re right there doing the job that is so valuable to our overall mission of making Iraq a safer place,” Reeves said. “No matter if we’re patrolling through the streets or searching a house for weapons, every mission is very important and we all work together to make sure everyone comes back alive. Being in a leadership position is very rewarding for me because I have a direct impact on my soldiers.”

Reeves said that he always focuses on his soldiers before he does himself.

“On every mission, Reeves does a really good job ensuring the safety of his soldiers and making sure he has them in the right position to provide security,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Watson, Reeves’ squad leader. “It makes my job a lot easier when I have competent team leaders like Reeves to depend on.”

“I want people to know that there’s always a way out of a bad situation. If I’ve learned one thing in the Army, it’s that motivation can help you go a long way,” Reeves said.

Kudos to Sgt. Reeves.

(via Blackfive)


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