Navy Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries

Died December 31, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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52, of Honolulu; assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Kuwait; died Dec. 31 as a result of injuries sustained Dec. 24 in a vehicular accident in Kuwait.

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Navy reservist dies in Kuwait accident

Honolulu Advertiser

A Navy reservist from Honolulu died yesterday of injuries suffered Dec. 24 in a vehicle accident in Kuwait, the Pentagon reported yesterday.

Petty Officer 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries, 52, was permanently assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Kuwait, the Pentagon said. Details were not immediately available on the vehicle accident.

Jeffries wrote an article that appeared last month on the Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System Web site. The article, dated Dec. 19, described a Navy program in Kuwait that helps sailors make the transition back home at the end of their deployment.

The article said Jeffries was assigned to Navy Customs Battalion Tango. The unit deployed Sept. 30 to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Navy Times said.

The unit’s 450 sailors are reservists from 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the Navy Times said. Its job is to perform customs inspections in Kuwait and Iraq for service members returning home at the end of their deployment.

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Sailor recalled as father figure, teacher

The Associated Press

Victor W. Jeffries and Yeoman 2nd Class Jaclyn King had a father-daughter type of relationship.

“I miss him teasing me. He used to always put spiders on my desk,” she said. But on Christmas Eve, he left her a Christmas gift. “I can’t tell him thank you,” she said, “and I just miss him.”

Jeffries, 52, a native of New York City who lived in Honolulu, died Dec. 31 of injuries suffered Dec. 24 in a vehicle accident in Kuwait..

Jeffries entered the military in 1984 and served in the Coast Guard, the Army and eventually the Navy. 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. “You have to make your mark, make strides, and prove yourself. That’s why he loved to teach.”

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and two daughters, Keshia and Chantel.

“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.”