THE WALL OF FACES

I am the last of Jeff's siblings to post a remembrance to this site. It still is painful not to have him here to share life with his family. His great-niece, 3 year old Talia, recently asked who he was....his pictures are all over our homes. He was my impish, handsome, loving baby brother, so loved and missed by his family.

As an English teacher, I have the audacity to teach literature of the war. I am proud to bring to my students my experience lof living and loving a Vietnam Vet. Jeff was three years older than I and I considered him my best friend. I remember clearly the experience of learning of his death and the military funeral. Twenty-three is too few years to spend in this world. I hope that by teaching my students about vietnam, that they will come to an understanding about war, heroes, and respect.

I met Jeff in college, University of Dubuque, we became friends. There were four of us that hung together, but Jeff and I even got together when home on breaks and in the summers.
I remember helping him get a drivers licence while we were in Iowa. Peter I would like to meet or even talk to you on the phone to share about your brother and our friendship, Jeff was one of the special people that God puts on this earth to help all of us to get through the hard times, I miss him so much.

I am Jeff's older brother. Sadly, I remember him as my "kid brother" because I never got to know him as a young man. We never had the chance to go through life as friends and buddies to share our lives together. Before I went off to college, Jeff was only 11 or 12; just a kid. Right after college I joined the Navy and Jeff was only 16. I was gone for the next 5 years in the Navy, Viet Nam, etc, while he went off to college. About the time I got out of the Service he was signing up. We had one weekend as he was finishing college, then he was off to Viet Nam.
He was a wonderful kid, and a great son to our parents. I think of him often and never fail to shed a tear when I do.

As a a teenager growing up in Yonkers NY we often would play ball against other kid's neighborhoods. I vividly remember playing football against Jeffrey in Pelton field, Yonkers, NY on Saturday afternoons. Who knew then that Jeffery, Pete Bushey (another fallen brother in Viet Nam) and I would share that horrible experience of Nam as we completed together in quieter days..
My memories of Jeffrey was that he was a great ball player who would never give up no matter what the score.
I have a wall rubbing of Peter and Jeffery I proudly display in my office in Dallas, Texas. I still miss them both.