Died Feb. 13, 2010 in Zhari province Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. John A. Reiners of Haines City, Florida. His early life was full of unrest as his parents divorced when he was young and it affected him deeply. He grew up with a passion for the military, partially influenced by his Vietnam veteran grandfather. John started wearing military camouflage as a toddler; his strong drive and goals were evident in everything he did growing up. Active in the ROTC his entire teenage years, John was in tip-top shape when he enlisted in the Army in June of 2004, a month after he graduated from high school. Basic training was a disappointment to him though- it wasn’t hard enough. Earning the nickname “Rambo” from his fellow soldiers, John breezed through the requirement to do 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups each in two minutes. He continued his fitness his entire military career, helping his squad win competitions against other squads. John was first assigned to Fort Drum, New York and served in Iraq from August 2005 to August 2006, earning a Purple Heart for injuries he received when an IED hit his vehicle. In October 2006, John married his long time girlfriend, Casey, and the union not only brought John the great happiness he needed in his life, but it produced his son. Before this time, John was a macho, guy, and his marriage and birth of his son turned him into a more sensitive person. John would deny this, but his facial expression when asked showed different. He had developed a close, loving relationship with his parents and siblings over the years and he was content with how his life was. He and his wife considered themselves one person, not two. John again served in Iraq from September 2007 to October 2008 where he received a concussion from another IED incident. He deployed to Afghanistan in November 2009, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colorado. John rarely spoke of the dangers he met in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was serious about his duty to his country and the dangers were part of the job. His conscience did come into play though as he was a devout Baptist. John struggled with “thou shall not kill.” But the enemy had women and children employed as suicide bombers and he reconciled the killing of them with the knowledge he was protecting innocent civilians, fellow soldiers and his country. John was killed along with Sgt. Jeremiah Wittman and Spc. Bobby Pagan, on February 13 when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. SSgt Reiners was awarded: the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal (twice), the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star (twice), the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (twice), the NATO Medal, the Ranger Tab and the Combat Infantry Badge and the Air Assault Badge. His family was given a second Purple Heart and the Bronze Star John was awarded posthumously. John is survived by his wife; son; his mother and step father Rhonna and Jerry Jackson; his father and step mother Gregory and Robin Reiners; a brother; a half-brother and two half-sisters. At his funeral service John’s mother said she watched him grow from a boy to a young man to husband and father. To her he was still her little boy, who died a man at the age of 24.
John was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Haines City, Florida.
Born April 10, 1984 in the USA
