Army Pvt. Cheizray Pressley

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pvt. Cheizray Pressley, 21, of North Charleston, S.C.

Pvt Pressley was assigned to Brigade Troops Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; died May 16, 2011 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

Pvt Pressley graduated from Fort Dorchester High School in 2008. The second-oldest of the family's four sons, he joined the Army in September 2010, arrived in Alaska in January and deployed to Afghanistan in mid-April. Father, Raymond Pressley, said his son last called home on Mother's Day. During the call he expressed his love for his mother but didn't say much about what his job was or what he was involved in.

"He had, for one reason or another, to keep that under wraps, to keep that secretive," his father said.

Raymond Pressley said it was an easy decision for his son to join up, since other family members already had served in various branches and spoke positively of military life. He said Cheziray's decision to join the military "was something he really wanted to do -- to serve his country, complete his education and see the world. He had a sense of patriotism and duty."

Cheziray had a number of hobbies. He loved sports, especially basketball and football, and enjoyed playing paintball. "He always kept a smile on his face," his father said. Pvt Pressley had come home in December to marry his girlfriend of several years, Dawn, and has a young daughter. Pvt Pressley is survived by his wife, Dawn and young daughter; mother and father, Raymond and three brothers.

Army Pvt. Cheizray Pressley was killed in action on 5/16/11.