BLACKSBURG, Va., April 9, 2003 – U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Jeffrey J. Kaylor, a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech and an alumnus of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, was killed in a grenade attack while leading his platoon in Iraq Sunday.
"Jeff was a magnificent cadet, an absolutely outstanding leader, and a role model for both cadets and soldiers," said Col. Thomas Banasik, head of Army ROTC at Tech. "He left a legacy of excellence. Everyone here is pretty sad right now."
According to preliminary reports from the Pentagon, Kaylor, who was with the C Battery, 39th Artillery Battalion, was leading his Multiple Rocket Launcher System platoon on a reconnaissance mission when they came under grenade attack, Banasik said.
Kaylor, a graduate of Centreville High School, is the son of Mike and Roxanne Kaylor of Clifton, Banasik said. His father is a retired Army lieutenant colonel. Kaylor originally enrolled at Radford University, but transferred to Tech after his freshman year because he wanted to be in the corps of cadets.
Kaylor was a cadet Army battalion commander in the fall of 2000, a member of C Company, a distinguished military graduate, and was a three-year scholarship winner, Banasik said.
Kaylor's wife, the former Jennifer L. Cosbey, is a 2002 graduate of Tech and was also in the corps. She has been serving in the Gulf region as a military police officer but is returning home.
The Corps will hold a retreat ceremony in honor of Lt. Kaylor, 4:45 PM, Thursday, April 10 in front of Lane Hall. The university community is invited.
Photo available at the Corps of Cadets website at http://www.vtcc.vt.edu/