Jeffries, Douglas Jay Jr

Douglas Jay Jeffries Jr. was born on August 31, 1991, in Porterville, California, and grew up in the nearby town of Springville. He graduated from Porterville High School in 2009 and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2010. After completing basic training and infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, New York.

On September 8, 2011, Specialist Jeffries was on a mounted patrol in the Dand district of Kandahar province. According to the Department of Defense, his unit was struck by an improvised explosive device. Jeffries was killed in the blast. He was 20 years old.

Jeffries's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with a major focus on counterinsurgency operations in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province, where IEDs were a leading cause of casualties for coalition forces.

The Department of Defense announced Jeffries's death on September 10, 2011. His body was returned to California, where a funeral service was held at the Porterville Church of God. He was buried with full military honors at Hillcrest Cemetery in Porterville.

Specialist Jeffries was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other service medals. He is remembered by family and his unit as a dedicated soldier. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Porterville Veterans Park.

Douglas Jeffries was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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