US Marine Corporal Elias Reyes, Jr, born September of 1986, of Riverside, California, beloved son of Maria Jauregui and Elias Reyes; beloved brother of Margarita, Mario, Rosario, Irene and Elizabeth.

In 2004, Elias joined the United States Marine Corps right out of high school to fight the war on terrorism. He honorably served as an Infantry Assault-man, Weapons Platoon, Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment.

Cpl Reyes had two combat tours in Iraq under his belt when he and the rest of the 2/7 arrived in Sangin, Afghanistan. Sangin is located in Helmand Province but when the 2/7 got there it might as well have been called hell.

It was not unusual for the Marines in Echo Company to engage with the enemy three or four times a day. An IED had left him with a traumatic brain injury, and the heavy combat he saw left him suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Corporal Reyes was honorably discharged in 2008.

When Cpl Reyes was discharged after three tours of combat in his four years of service, he fulfilled a dream of becoming a UCLA Bruin. He graduated from UCLA in 2012 with a 3.8 grade point average and a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy. Pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor, Elias moved to Albany, CA. to complete his Post Baccalaureate in Life Sciences. But even as he excelled in the classroom, the battlefield haunted him.

Cpl Elias Reyes, Jr lost his battle with PTSD and TBI, April 29, 2014. He was 27 years old.

Cpl Elias Reyes’ story:

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