Sgt Jeffery Thomas Middleton, (1967 - 1991) - ForeverMissed.com Online Memorials

Let the memory of Jeffery be with us forever

23 years old
Born on April 11, 1967
Passed away on February 17, 1991

Jeffery Thomas Middleton was born April 11, 1967, in Bad Constatt,
Stuttgart, Germany. His parents were stationed there with the U. S.
Army. At the age of four his family left the Army and started farming
in Oxford, Kansas. Jeff grew up on the family farm, hunting, fishing,
and playing with 3 younger brothers. He graduated from oxford Public
Schools and fell in love with football and the U. S. Army. He attended
Pittsburg State University and continued playing football and joing
its ROTC program. Two years into his university studies, Jeff decided
to turn his full attention to the military. He enlisted in the U.S.
Army to be assigned to the Armored Cavalry Branch. Jeffery took basic
and advanced training with the 1st Armor Training Brigade, 5-15
Cavalry, E Company, Fort Knox, Kentucky and graduated 4 January 1988.
He was assigned to the Cavalry Scouts, 2nd Armor Division, 1-41
Cavalry in Garlstadt, Germany. His Unit, 1-41st, was called to be part
of the force to expell Iraqs' Military forces out of Kuwait and Jeff
was deployed to Saudi Arabia on 31 Dec 1990. War with Iraq was
declared on 17 Jan 1991 and Task Force 1-41 breached the berm and into
Iraq on 15 Feb 1991. Jeff's Bradley Fighting Vehicle on which he was a
gunner, was arranged in a screen line with the other Bradleys ahead of
the Main Force of the 1-41st. jeffery was killed on 17 Feb 1991 when a
Hellfire Missile hit his Bradley. Pvt Robert Talley, a dismount, was
also killed. The tank commander, the driver and another dismount
survived the hit. Jeffery followed his dreams. As a young adult, Jeff
had two loves. The Scouts and his wife. Jeff met and courted Gina
Stevens while stationed in Germany. They were married 18 Feb 1989 at
Fort Polk, Lousiana. Jeff loved being a husband and a Cavalry Scout.
Serving his country was his childhood dream.

All Medals Received
Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, every year for 4
years, Army Good Conduct, National Defense, Southwest Asia Service,
Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, Saudi Arabia Medal for Freedom

All Awards Received
Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Grenade Badge Expert and
Rifle Badge Marksman

Tributes

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April 11

Yo Jeff! I may have missed leaving you a note on the most important memory days. I'm getting older and the memory bank is probably full. As long as I am alive your subscription is paid. If it disappears then I have passed. Right now I'm 77 and will be 78 in July. Expecting to be here for that birthday and whatever happens after that. I guess sending you a message is an act of faith on my part. I do believe that no one disappears even after death. What actually happens is unknown. I suppose that makes us all unknown veterans.:-) I know that as long as you are remembered you are here. Your family and their offspring will always remember you. Fran and I think about you often and Gina still mourns you and always will. She refers to you as the "love of her life" and nothing will replace that. I also believe that we have been here since creation and will always be here as the elements that built us are eternal. They may be reassembled many times but they cannot be destroyed. Matter is eternal in that way. I don't know who follows this site outside of Fran and myself, but they probably think I am nuts but I am what I am. :-) You were and are one of the dearest people I have ever known. I would say rest in peace but that is a cop out. Live in whatever realm you are in and remember that you are still alive in this one in our hearts. This country and world is in the worst shape of my lifetime. I worry for those who will continue after I am gone. I have had a great life married to Fran for 57 years and that is enough for me. Much love to you. Doug

October 27, 2023

Dear Jeff.....We are in Iowa for a short visit and thought about you as we passed through Kansas on the way here. All 4 of my sisters are still living and Fran and I had lunch with them today. We are all in our late 60s or early 70s and we seldom see each other but it is precious when we do. Mikehas 6 kids and 3 grandkids and number four is due to be born any day now. Time has stopped for you and seems to be accelerating for us. I don't know if there is a hereafter but I hope there is so we can see you again. The mideast is in a new state of War today which could grow into another nightmare. It is Arabs killing Jews and vice versa. The Arabs (Muslim Terrorists) started it once again and many on both sides will die or be injured. The US is involved in a minor way but could be in major combat soon. You know all about that because it took your life a few years ago. The song says "When will we ever learn." It appears that will be never. We will always love and remember you as long as we are here. Much love to You! Doug & Fran

May 16, 2023

Wow Jeff.....old age seems to mathematically square itself with each year. You are forever 23 and I am almost 77 but I can still remember the last time I saw you as I briefed your unit in Germany about my just completed 1st tour in the gulf war. That was 32 years ago and you still are thought about often. I am grandfather of eleven and a great grandfather 5 with one on the way. Gina's girls have not had children yet but I am sure they will add more greats. Fran and I have been married for 56 years and currently are well. I just wanted to give your some family news to share with your friends and others who are in the hearafter. Love to you. Doug

October 11, 2022

Dear Jeff......I am getting very old :-) Gina and her girls visited us last week and we had a great time. She will never be over you and calls you her first love. She is somewhat able to talk about you but the pain of your loss never leaves her. She has done very well as a mother and has excelled in her field of work. You would be proud of her but the hole in her life that you left is always there. Fran and I as well as Michael have fond and loving members of you. Mike's son Noah is in the Army as a Drone pilot. Daughter Hannah is in the reserves and her husband Hunter is in the Army as a heavy Equipment Mechanic. They have two beautiful little girls. Fran is doing well in spite of her age and multiple cancer treatments. We are more in love than ever in the 55th year of our marriage. We speak of you often and our love for you is eternal. Doug & Fran

April 17, 2022

Happy Belated Birthday Jeff!!! I have no idea if earthly birthdays are celebrated in the afterlife, but if you were here we would discuss the old times and get your GI opinion on the mess we are in today with Russia and Ukraine. I'll be 76 in July if all goes well. Fran and I have had a hard time with this Pandemic and return of her cancer. Thank God that she is in remission again. I had
Covid virus in November of last year. It really screwed me up but I continue to recover albeit with a lot of old man's pains. Gina is doing well but has had some trauma in her life. She is a survivor! I think i mentioned that I am very unsure about the afterlife actually existing but I have some hope because otherwise I wouldn't have been writing to you all of these years. Faith is hope and vice-versa. If you don't here from me for a year, I'm probably gone from this earth. I'm hoping that others besides Fran and I read these tributes. You left a very positive imprint on this earth and this old man loves you.

March 27, 2022

Hey Jeff! I usually send you a note on the day of your passing into heaven but missed it. My age is catching up with me as well as some "old man" health problems and I was quite ill in Feb. I am recovering and it looks like I will make it to birthday number 76 in July. Fran is doing well although she had a recurrence of her brain cancer which scared both of us but she is in remission now. Please tell God and Jesus thanks from me. She is my life and I wouldn't want to live without her. Religion still is a mystery to me but hope and faith are synonymous so I am hoping that an afterlife exists. If not I guess I will never know. I do have enough of both to write you a couple times a year and you are on my mind often. Things here on the third planet from the sun are really a mess right now. We are closer to a major war than we have ever been in my lifetime. Love you! Doug

June 7, 2021

Hello Jeffery sorry I missed your birthday,my cancse came back, taking chemo and Thank God all is well,he's a good God,miss you very much.Hope and pray you ran into Liza, the weather here is still wet and cold,but it will get better soon,mis you everyday,Love you Fran

April 16, 2021

Happy belated birthday Jeff. It has been very hectic for Fran and I during the last month. She was and is very fond of you and remembers our times in Germany and in the states with joy. You would have been 54 this month and I can't imagine what you would look like and what you would think of Fran and I at 74. After you passed Fran developed brain cancer in 2005 and survived after chemo and surgery. We have had over 15 blessed years of remission but this past month it came back. She came very close to passing a couple of weeks ago but the Good Lord answered many prayers and she is under treatment now which will extend her life for whatever years God grants. Life without her for me would be unthinkable after being together for 54 years. I don't know whether the stories in the bible are true or exactly what God is but I do know that God exists and prayer works. I have seen Fran survive cancer twice because of prayer. I do hope that both of us after we pass are able to interface with you and other loved ones that have gone on before us. You are and always will be one of my heroes who loved the rest of us so much that you gave your life to preserve our freedom. As long as I am alive I will write to you on your birthday and other memory points. Love, Doug

February 17, 2021

Jeff this is the day in 1991 that you passed into heaven as a soldier that was defending our country from evil forces in the mid-east. Nay Sayers don't understand what it means to take an oath that may well result in sacrifice. It is the ultimate act of Patriotism and service to your fellow Americans. I think of you often. I loved you as if you were my own son. I am pushing 75 and my body is telling me that it is tired and old but I still have the gift of life and I will treasure it every day. It is strange to be sharing this with you as you have passed 30 years ago, but I still see you playing with Mike at the Louisiana house out in the yard with toy soldiers. I see you in your dress uniform being married to Gina. I see you at our house in Germany eating burritos with Mike from the microwave. You are remembered. That in itself is eternal life. People who loved and cared about you will share your story with their children who will pass it on from generation to generation. I hope that you are in a heavenly place where our spirits will one day meet face to face. It is all a mystery to me, but I have hope! You will always be a young hero to me.

February 17, 2021

Good morning Jeffery,it is very cold here,we are down in Texas to get away from the cold and it is very cold down here,I sure hope you and Liza met and having a good visit still watching the "Kansas city Chief'football team,they are very good this year but lost the Superball game but that"s ok they are still very good team you would love it.Missed you Fran and Doug

April 11, 2020

Posted by francisca stevens feb.11,2020 Jeff,you will always be remenbered,we missed you dearly,you are so kind to everyone you meet, you don't have an enemy,you have friends where ever you go, you are very kind and will always thank you for your service,missed you,fran

April 11, 2020

Jeff.....Happy Birthday wherever you are.! I just realized that you were born just a few days after Fran and I were married on April 8 1967. We celebrated our 53d anniversary a few days ago. Since you are eternally 23, you probably wouldn't recognize us but we would you. The world is in a mess right now with a virus pandemic which has caused many deaths and financial ruin for the USA. Like all things, this too will pass. Gina is doing well but I know she misses you more than she can say. Time heals all wounds but the scars remain as a reminder. One of these days you will no longer get a letter from me on your birthday. I will have joined you in the great hereafter, whatever that might be. I simply don't know if we continue in some way after physical death. I must have some faith because I write to you twice a year. One day I will know or it will be oblivion and I'll live through my descendants. I can live and die with that. I do know that the basic building blocks of my body atomically will rejoin the universe as raw sources for future creation. That is corny as expected by those who know me. :-) Take care warrior, you are gone from here but remembered by all who loved you as I do......Doug

February 18, 2020

Hey Jeff! I am pushing 74 this year and you are still 23. If I see you in the hereafter you probably won't recognize the old man I have become. You will still be that smiling young man with the flat top haircut that I have continued to love all these years. I hope Liza is standing there beside you with that wonderful smile on her face. She passed away in December of last year of complications with Lupus. She was such a bright light in our life and we miss her very much. Tell her Mom and Dad love her and I hope that we see her again in eternity. As long as I live, I will send you messages on the anniversary of your passing and your birthday. You are absent from this planet but very much alive in our hearts.

April 11, 2019

Dearest Jeff,
It is your birthday and you are still a handsome young soldier as you will always be. This web site is Forever Missed but for you and I it is Forever Remembered and loved. I'll be 73 in a couple of months and probably not too far from joining heroes like you. I really have no idea of what happens after life ends here but I hope that it is just a new beginning. I do know that as long as you are remembered life really doesn't end. I think that you wouldn't recognize the world as it is today and probably wouldn't want to. The basic desire to serve and even make the ultimate sacrifice for your countrymen is not very popular today. Idealism has been replaced by individualism and it is no longer what one can do for others but it is what can I do for me. You are and always will be one of my heroes. Hurrah!
Doug

February 17, 2019

Jeff in a way you are in a safer place then any of us on earth. I have no doubt that heaven exists and have never doubted its existence. I am thankful for
the service that you have given your life for. Only God knows why good people die so young but then again I can only imagine what Heaven is like. God is perfect so I'm sure you are are in that perfect place Heaven. Thank-you again I look forward to meeting you in Heaven.
Cheryl

February 17, 2019

Dear Jeff,
Thinking of you today and will also give you a big hug when we meet again in Heaven. Love, Aunt Wendy

February 17, 2019

Dear Jeff........This is not a happy anniversary. The only solace I can have is that you passed into heaven instantaneously with out any suffering or even recognition of the missile hit. Personally I do not know if heaven exists or not. I do know that as long as you are remembered by those who loved you, you still live in our hearts. I am still here and will be 73 in a few months. It probably won't be long before I have my answer about heaven. I hope to see you again Sgt, Middleton and thank you for the ultimate sacrifice you made in serving us. I will hug your neck Jeff and shed tears of joy.
Love to you from your Father-in-law forever.

April 11, 2018

Happy Birthday Jeff! Of course that has little meaning to someone like you who will always be 23. We still remember your birthday here on this crazy planet. I will be 72 in a couple of months but everything still functions albeit slower with some groans. If you saw me you would say "who is that old man" If I saw you, you would still be that handsome young soldier we were so proud of and loved so very much. You and your buddies that have passed on must look down on our country and wonder just what went wrong. Fran and I miss the days of our youth when life was much simpler and more meaningful, but after 51 years of marriage she is my world and I hope I am hers. We will not forget you and will always miss you.

February 18, 2018

Wow Jeff.....I'll be 72 in a few months and you are still a special memory in my heart. I still think about you often especially when I see and talk to Gina. Unfortunately the world is still in a hell of a mess 28 years after you left it. It grieves me that young folks like you are still suffering and dying in the Mideast. People that read this who did not know you missed something very special. I don't know what happens when we pass on but I would love to see you and give you a big hug along with many others that have passed on. It probably won't be too long before I join the billions like you who have gone on ahead of me. Fran and I miss you and the world was a better place when you were in it.

Much love, Your eternal father-in-law Doug Stevens

May 29, 2017

Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You were born on my wife's and I wedding day, and you died on my birthday. You will not be forgotten and will always have a place in our heart.

February 22, 2017

Dear Jeff,

I met you at Gina and your wedding and your smile was uplifting and I know my niece was extremely in love and happy. You were so young but from reading about you above, I know you were proud and willing to serve our country and to help those in other countries who needed help to stay free. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Love, Aunt Wendy

February 17, 2017

Dear Jeff,
I only met you once, at your wedding to my niece Gina, and found you so nice and personable. Thank you for the sacrifice you made in defending our country from harm.
Aunt Carol

February 17, 2017

I think of you often. Our Jeffery was named after you. I still remember your sweet smile and your laugh. You may be gone from this earth, but never gone from our hearts and memories. You will forever be a part of our family. We will always love you.

February 17, 2017

Dear Jeff,
It is hard to believe that two more years have passed since I lighted a candle for you. I'm moving on to 71 and it seems like yesterday when I visited you and Gina in Germany. You will be forever 23 and young! I'm as sure as I can be that you are eternally in a good place with your buddies and family that have left this earth. I thank you for your great sacrifice in keeping the rest of us free and prosperous. I don't think you would much like the mess the world and country has become since you left. It was a much better place when you were in it.:-)

Love you buddy!
Doug

October 19, 2015

Dearest Jeff
I think of you often and my heart aches each time. We loved and admired you so much. I am nearly 70 now and I still work with young soldiers. Tomorrow I will be teaching young soldiers about the importance and dangers of what they do every day. As I prepared for that teaching you came to mind. I use your story as an example of what can happen when people do not pay adequate attention to their duties in their very dangerous profession. You did your job with professionalism and care; someone else made a tragic mistake that took your life and broke the hearts of all who loved you. Rest in peace. You are my hero always.

Doug Stevens, your loving father-in-law

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