Major
Jeff Calero, age 34, was a member of ODA 2132 of the 20th Special
Forces Group, Massachusetts Army National Guard. He was
fatally wounded on October 29, 2007 by a roadside bomb in Kajaki,
Afghanistan.It was Jeffrey R.
Calero's second deployment to Afghanistan with a Special Forces
Army National Guard unit based in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Calero was born in Puerto Rico, came
to the United States at age one, and grew up in Queens, New York. He
attended Incarnation Elementary School in Queens Village. He
graduated from St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, Queens in 1991
where he played football. Jeff was a 1996 graduate of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where he was a member of ROTC.
He had served six years on active
duty in the Army and then joined the Army National Guard where he
attended the rigorous Special Forces Qualification Course and became
a member of Special Forces.
Calero worked as a mechanical
engineer in Manhattan, New York when not participating in Army
National Guard activities.
Calero earned his commission as an
infantry officer. His first Army assignment was with the
2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea as a rifle platoon
leader and executive officer for 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry
Regiment. He also served as a rifle platoon leader and headquarters
and headquarters company executive officer at 4th Ranger Training
Battalion, Fort Benning, Georgia. Calero left active duty in the
2001 and joined Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group
(Airborne) of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Among his awards and decorations are
three Army Commendation Medals, Army Reserve Components Achievement
Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, two
Overseas Service Ribbons, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist
Badge, Air Assault Badge, Ranger Tab, and Special Forces Tab.
He was buried in Calverton
National Cemetery. He was posthumously promoted to Major.
A memorial ceremony was conducted in memory of Jeffrey Calero at the
John F. Kennedy Chapel on Fort Bragg, NC on November 8, 2008.
The Massachusetts Army National Guard dedicated a newly constructed
MOUT site on Camp Edwards in honor of MAJ Calero on 7 June 2008.
MAJ Calero is survived by his father and mother, brother, two
sisters, three nieces, and his long-time friend and fiancée.
Other Internet Sites Honoring CPT
Jeff Calero:
Maj. Jeffrey Calero. Legacy Guest
Book.
Taps - MAJ Jeffrey R. Calero.
ProfessionalSoldiers.com.
RIP Major Jeffrey Calero. Forum by Military.com.
Major Jeffrey R. Calero. SFAHQs.
Maj. Jeffrey R. Calero. Faces of
the Fallen, The Washington Post.
Major Jeffrey Calero. National
Eagle - Theta Chi Fraternity.
MAJ Jeff Calero. Socnetcentral.com.
Maj Calero. Patriot Guard Riders
Forum.
News Articles about CPT Jeff
Calero:
October 30, 2007.
"DoD Identifies Army Casualty". U.S
Department of Defense.
October 30, 2007.
"Special Forces Soldier killed in Afghanistan".
USASOC News Service.
October 30, 2007.
"Green Beret assigned to Springfield unit killed in
Afghanistan". The Republican.
October 31, 2007.
"New York Soldier Killed in Battle".
The New York Sun.
October 31, 2007.
"Soldier From Queens Is Killed in Afghanistan".
The New York Times.
October 31, 2007.
"Green Beret killed in Afghanistan".
The Republican.
November 1, 2007.
"Major killed in Afghanistan". The
Queens Courier.
November 1, 2007.
"Queens Village soldier killed in Afghanistan".
Times Ledger.
November 1, 2007.
"A death in the family". New York
Daily News.
November 8, 2007.
"Love Letter Eulogy: Girlfriend writes from her
heart to fallen beau". The Queens Courier.
November 8, 2007.
"Queens Village Green Beret called 'a real hero'".
Times Ledger.
November 8, 2007.
"More than 200 honor fallen Soldier".
USASOC News Service.
November 21, 2007.
"Queens' losses in Iraq, Afghanistan wars reflect
its diversity". NY Daily News.
Sign at entrance of Camp Edwards MOUT Site on Cape Cod,
Massachusetts
