SSG Stanley B. Reynolds

37, US Army

August 14 is the anniversary of the passing of SSG Stanley B. Reynolds, 37, US Army of Rock, WV. He was born July 18th, 1970.  We honor and remember SSG Reynolds, his mother Sandra Reynolds, his wife Jill and their 3 daughters.

SSG Reynolds was a truck driver and worked in the coal mines briefly before enlisting in the military at 31. He was a dedicated family man that joined the Army late in life to provide for his family. His late father was a Marine who served in Vietnam.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Task Force 49, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He died Aug. 14 2007 in Taqaddum, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his helicopter crashed during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  It was his 2nd tour in Iraq.  He was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal and has a marker in Arlington National Cemetery.

Stanley tried his hand at a number of jobs - a trucker and a strip miner - but got laid off from both. He then chose the Army. "Here's a guy who was 31 years old, had a wife and two kids already, with another one on the way," his uncle, Richard Bailey said. "When he joined the Army, he joked with me that he was getting a job that he wouldn't get laid off from. But he was really patriotic too. He thought it was the right thing to do." 

1st Lt. Bryan Pierce, Reynolds' commanding officer, remembered the young soldier as "a hard worker, a loving family man and a friend to all," Pierce wrote. "It did not matter your position or title, he treated everyone the same with utmost respect." In his spare time, he enjoyed restoring old Ford trucks. 

A hero, one ready to sacrifice self ahead of companions; this was Stan. From his early days of watching out for young friends on the bus going to school, through doing whatever he could to help the family growing up, to being the generous counselor, companion and champion to his fellow brothers in arms, Stan always thought of others first and that drove his actions. He had unmatched compassion for his fellow soldiers, undoubtedly a trait he learned from his father, a Marine that served proudly in Vietnam. Stanley made a significant difference in the lives of all who he knew, and through strength of character and deed, he had earned the utmost respect of his leaders and peers.

But his love and drive to take care of his own family was second to nothing. He enjoyed being with soldiers and doing the things soldiers do, but he loved his family. His wife, Jill, and his three daughters were his life. Their well-being was the reason he chose the Army career, and he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. 

He is survived by his wife, Jill, and three young daughters - Katelyn, 8, Kristan, 7, and Emily, 4. "Ladies, you should be very proud of your daddy," Brigadier General John A. MacDonald told them.

SSG Reynolds knew what it meant to be a father and to provide for his family no matter the cost. 

This nation owes him a debt we can never repay... 

Let us always remember him, his family and…

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