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Remembering Jeffery
McKinney...
A "kind-hearted human being.”
Capt. Jesse Greaves recalls walking into Jeffrey R. McKinney's room in Iraq
and finding it sweltering hot.” I said to him, 'You know, that air
conditioner in the window works,'" Greaves told McKinney. "First sergeant
said, 'Sir, there are soldiers in this building with no AC. Mine stays off
till theirs comes on.' I went back to my room and turned mine off after
that.”
McKinney, 40, of Garland, Texas, died July 11 of a gunshot wound in
Adhamiyah during a non-combat related incident. A 19-year-veteran, he was
assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.1st Sgt. Kevin Floyd called McKinney a
"kind-hearted human being.”
One day, three weeks before
McKinney's death, Greaves noticed him on his knees scrubbing blood off a
patch of concrete. One of McKinney's soldiers had just been struck by a
roadside bomb in Kadhimiya, a northern neighborhood of Baghdad." When I
asked him what he was doing, his answer was simple," Greaves recounted. "He
said, 'I'm not leaving any part of him here. He deserves better than that.’”
...[USA Today excerpt]
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"Leading by example."
Thank you for
your service Top. You may not remember but you were my first Sgt. when I was
in. Thank you for leading by example and for your service to our country.
...Brandon Bandlow
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"I'm going to
miss you buddy!"
....We dragged our canoe through the thickest jungle of central Oahu in
order to once and for all put an end to our constant bragging of who was the
better fisherman between Jeff and I. After finally making it to the river
near pineapple junction, we spent a beautiful day making fun of each others
catch (we swore it was the same little fish, over and over!) Later in the
afternoon, while both attempting to perfectly cast into an undisturbed hole,
something happened and we lost our balance and flipped the canoe over in the
river. Not caring about the fortune spent in fishing tackle and poles, our
wallets, beepers, oars, or even the canoe...I'll never forget our frantic,
desperate attempt to swim after our Skoal cans, which were floating
downstream. This just gave us something new to dog on each other about over
the many years since. I sure am going to miss you buddy! ...Bob Ellis
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"A great
American!"
1SG Jeff McKinney was a great American! I served with him during his first
tour in Iraq. He was a great NCO and it is truly a great loss to our nation
and our Army. He will be sorely missed. God Bless his family and my prayers
are with you in this time of your loss.
...MAJ Eric Frutchey
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"An awesome NCO
who really cared about his Joe."
I was one of 1SG McKinney's soldiers when he was still a platoon sergeant
for Bravo Company 1/26. This came at a total shock to all of us. He will be
deeply missed. He was an awesome NCO who really cared about his joe.
...Michael Stack
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"a good man"
I served with
1sgt McKinney when he was a E6 team leader for team 3-6 Eco 51st infantry.
He was a good man and will not be forgotten.
...Mathew Anthony
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