Jeb Stuart Downing

West Point, 1990

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Sam on January 26, 2024:

The first time I met Jeb was at the Armor Officer Advance Course at Fort Knox. I remember being struck by his presence. He had the Cav swagger, and I immediately knew he was a natural leader. Jeb stood out amongst his peers as a soldier an officer and as a father. We spoke often while outside playing with our children in our old base housing back yards. Years later I was fortunate to serve again with Jeb at SOCOM and to live near one another in the same Fishhawk community. We interacted daily in the SOCOM-J8 and throughout the school years as our kids ran cross-country together and our youngest were in elementary together. Jeb was known throughout the community as the "Harley Riding Elvis" ... we loved to see him every year at Halloween dressed as Elvis in one-piece jump riding his Harley through the Fishawk neighborhoods. Jeb had a heart for military service volunteered in several times to deploy from HQ SOCOM to the combat AOR. When he wasn't in the AOR he was supporting those who were. When I deployed to Iraq from SOCOM - Jeb was the only fellow officer that touched base with we me weekly. When I had to redeploy mid-tour for a family emergency Jeb was the one officer from my office that a picked me up at the airport. When I returned from Iraq after my tour Jeb was the one officer that met me at the airport and handed me my "combat patch". And now the hard part... after we retired, I noticed Jeb was struggling and I asked him a couple of times if he was "ok", and he said he was ... just like when those around me asked me if I was ok. Jeb passing is painful but not in vain his death shocked me and inspired me to seek help; I am here today because of Jeb...serving others always. Jeb Downing -- present, but not here; gone, but not forgotten ... until we meet again.

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