Army Spc. Joseph A. Jeffries, 21, of Beaverton, Ore.; assigned to the 320th Psychological Operations Company, Army Reserve, Portland, Ore.; was killed May 29 when his vehicle hit a land mine in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Joseph joined the Army in October 2001 and completed the Psychological Operations Specialist Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. Joey was an amateur race-car driver at the River City Speedway. It was where he and his father became more than family. They became best friends. Before Joey even had a driver's license, he was building a race car before he had anything to drive on the street. The day of his first race, we had to take him to a big parking lot to teach him how to work a stick shift. So we show up at his first race, and on the first lap he stuffs the car, nose first, into the wall. He figures he's done for the day. He slapped a chain around a big tree and put the other end around the front of his car. The quick repair got the car back on the track. Then Joey put it in reverse, reved it up and pop the clutch. He finished sixth that night. He spent every extra dime he had on his cars. Joey had asked his dad to begin working on a car for him to race when he got back from Afghanistan in September but then suggested his father build a second one so they could race side by side. He was the kid who showed up early and stayed late, and in between took pleasure in helping others. Joseph, husband of Betsy; son of Mark Jeffries and Linda Lock; brother of Terry and Heidi Jeffries; grandson of Rick and Betty Smith; nephew of Rick, Larry, Gary and Robin Smith, Mary Morris, Mike and Greg Jeffries.
Army Spc. Joseph A. Jeffries, 21, of Beaverton, Ore.; assigned to the 320th Psychological Operations Company, Army Reserve, Portland, Ore.; was killed May 29 when his vehicle hit a land mine in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Joseph joined the Army in October 2001 and completed the Psychological Operations Specialist Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. Joey was an amateur race-car driver at the River City Speedway. It was where he and his father became more than family. They became best friends. Before Joey even had a driver's license, he was building a race car before he had anything to drive on the street. The day of his first race, we had to take him to a big parking lot to teach him how to work a stick shift. So we show up at his first race, and on the first lap he stuffs the car, nose first, into the wall. He figures he's done for the day. He slapped a chain around a big tree and put the other end around the front of his car. The quick repair got the car back on the track. Then Joey put it in reverse, reved it up and pop the clutch. He finished sixth that night. He spent every extra dime he had on his cars. Joey had asked his dad to begin working on a car for him to race when he got back from Afghanistan in September but then suggested his father build a second one so they could race side by side. He was the kid who showed up early and stayed late, and in between took pleasure in helping others. Joseph, husband of Betsy; son of Mark Jeffries and Linda Lock; brother of Terry and Heidi Jeffries; grandson of Rick and Betty Smith; nephew of Rick, Larry, Gary and Robin Smith, Mary Morris, Mike and Greg Jeffries.
