Jed was born in Santa Barbara, CA in 1990. Shortly after his birth his parents, both missionaries, moved the family to Guatemala where Jed and his younger brother grew up.

The family returned to the U.S. where Jed attended high school and graduated in 2008. Jed enjoyed language and the arts and wanted to further his education. Unable to afford to college, Jed looked at all the branches of military services, but his heart had always been with joining those with the best training, the hardest work, and the most compelling spirit–the USMC. In 2009, Jed made the decision to join the Marines.

After School of Infantry (for 0311, Combat Infantryman) Jed was assigned to 1/7 (FirstBattalion, Seventh Marines) at 29 Palms, CA. Six months later, his’s unit deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan.

Jed was a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) gunner. In 2012, while on a daily foot patrol in Afghanistan, his unit stopped on a hilltop for a short rest. While settling into a defensive position, Jed brushed the pressure plate of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which exploded.