Bomb Kills Virginia Guardsman

Cheer Amid Dangerous Work in Iraq Buoyed His Comrades

His fellow National Guardsmen called him "preacher man."

Staff Sgt. Jeremiah McNeal, a quiet 23-year-old, had come from a religious upbringing and carried that spirituality with him to Iraq, where he was serving his second tour when he was killed Sunday, officials and his family said yesterday.

"They tell me Jeremiah was an inspiration to many who served with him," his wife, Nikita McNeal, said through tears at a news conference in Norfolk.

McNeal was proud to join the Virginia National Guard right after high school, but he also worked hard to keep military life separate from his family, his wife said. She spoke little of the soldier that he was and more about the "best friend" she lost, the shy man who had stared at her across a Taco Bell before walking up and telling her she was pretty.

"That's when he stole my heart," she said. "He always called me beautiful."

McNeal, who was assigned to the 237th Engineer Company based in West Point, was killed by a roadside bomb in the Baghdad area, officials said. His unit was deployed in July for a 12-month rotation, its second after being mobilized in 2004.

Virginia National Guard officials said the unit's mission involved route clearance and sanitation, or ensuring that the area was clear of explosives and hazards for the soldiers who would come behind them. Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman Jr., the adjutant general of Virginia, in a statement called the mission "critically important."

"We should all feel proud of what the men and women of the Virginia National Guard are doing in Iraq in service to their country," Newman said. "They are being given the toughest missions, and they are getting those missions accomplished."

Capt. Beau Mason, commander of the 237th Engineer Company, said in the statement that despite the mission's danger, "Staff Sgt. McNeal faced it with a cheerful smile and alleviated the fears of many Soldiers solely through his presence."

"He was a part of our brotherhood that can never be replaced," he said.

Nikita McNeal addressed journalists at the National Guard Armory in Norfolk to describe the man she married a year ago. His mother, Pamela Gaynor, stood by her side, and the couple's siblings sat nearby.

"He was not just another number," Nikita McNeal said.

In addition to being a husband, a son and a best friend, he was a good father to their 4-year-old-son, Jordien, she said. The two loved playing basketball and watching wrestling together.

"I know he will always be watching over us," she said.

After he told her she was pretty that day, she remembered how Jeremiah, in his shy way, just walked away. They went on their first date later that week, she added.