Jeremy grew up in Shelbyville, Indiana. He graduated as salutatorian from Southwestern High School in 1992, where he served as senior class president and won the Indiana state title in the 3,200-meter run. Four years later, he earned a chemistry degree with honors from Wabash College in Crawfordsville. During college, he won seven Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference distance running titles and was twice named an All-American in cross-country. He began doctoral studies in chemistry at the University of Wyoming but paused after two years to pursue competitive running. As a member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team, he competed in three international races and won the Pikes Peak Ascent in 1998 and 1999. This 13.3-mile race climbs 7,800 vertical feet from Manitou Springs to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak.

In 2002, after years devoted to running and academics, Jeremy enlisted in the U.S. Army through the Special Forces Candidate Program. He completed Basic Combat Training, Advanced Individual Training, and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. In July 2004, he graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. That November, he deployed to Afghanistan as a communications sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Lewis, Washington. On January 3, 2005, he was killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb near Asadabad.

Jeremy’s legacy lives on through his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.