JEFFREY J. KAYLOR was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on October 22, 1979, but spent most of his life in the Little Rocky Run community where his family still resides. He attended Union Mill Elementary, Rocky Run Middle, and Centreville High School, where he was a middle linebacker for the varsity football team.

After graduation from Centreville High in 1997, he attended Virginia Tech, earning a B.S. in Management Science and Information Technology and joining the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. He became a cadet Army battalion commander and a scholarship recipient for three years. Upon graduation in 2001, he was commissioned an Army Second Lieutenant in field artillery.

Following graduation, he attended jump and leadership schools at Fort Benning, Georgia, and received basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In the spring of 2002, he was assigned to 1st/39th Artillery Battalion as platoon leader for the 2nd firing Platoon at Fort Stewart, Georgia, after completion of Field Artillery Officer Basic Course.

The next year, he married his wife Jenna, an Army Lieutenant he had met in Virginia Tech, but he received deployment orders. They wed on July 5, a month before he left for Kuwait to support the Intrinsic Action Rotation. He died the following spring during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jeff, known affectionately as "Ffej" by friends, was a hero to many and "a wonderful man who left memories with everyone he knew," writes wife Jenna on a memorial Web site. Even those who knew him for a short while, such as First Lieutenant Trent B. Bunnell who served with him in Officer Basic Course, cannot forget "the smiles, the positive attitude and the new red Mustang," he wrote.

He led a distinguished career as an American serviceman, earning the Army Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the National Defense Service Medal. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart and laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on April 23, 2003 in section 60.

In the spirit of overcoming the sorrow and keeping alive Jeff's memory, Kayor's parents established the Jeffrey J. Kaylor Memorial Scholarship Fund to help individuals like Jeff in their community. "Jeff was a nice, average kid — responsible, perfect attendance — [he] enjoyed friends and teachers. The most enjoyable years for Jeff were high school."

Family and friends conducted a dedication ceremony for the scholarship at Centreville High last Saturday, presenting a bronze plaque to the school, now hung in the lobby outside the auditorium. Over 40 people were in attendance, including Jeff's friends, the Kaylor's neighbors in the community, and Sen. Jay O'Brien (R-39th).