A young soldier is missed by his family and friends as he serves on a dangerous battlefield with no known date of return. Matthew Zephyr is one of the 135,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

By JANE LaTOUR

On April 9, the day after he turned 28, Matthew Zephyr boarded a plane bound for the war zone from the U.S. Army base in Fort Dix, N.J. The young husband, transit system worker and DC 37 member left a huge void behind him.

Sgt. Zephyr had already served three years in the Army. From 1996 through 1999, he was a supply specialist at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After leaving the service, he attended college for a year. In 2000, he took a job as a Customer Specialist in the Corporate Communications Dept. of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and became a member of MTA Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1655.

He joined the National Guard and in March 2001, married Audrena Zephyr, a city Traffic Agent in Communications Workers Local 1182. Audrena came to the U.S. from Jamaica with her family in 1994 and met Matt in the summer of 1999.

“He’s the kindest person,” she said. “He’ll go out of his way to help people in whatever way he can. Everyone who comes in contact with him always likes him as a person.”

A good friend
His friends and his supervisor at the MTA agree. “We worked together almost every day. He’s easygoing and puts himself out for other people,” said Tommy Smith, also a Customer Service Specialist and Local 1655 member. “He’s one of the comedians of this office. I miss his jokes.”

Local 1655 member Rodney Jennings only worked with Matt for one year. “He always tried to help other people, like this elderly guy in his neighborhood. I know that Matt helped him out a lot,” said Mr. Jennings.

As the three co-workers drove around the five boroughs distributing promotional materials for the MTA, they had an opportunity to talk and got to know each other well. “Matt has a special character. I enjoyed working with him. I miss his positive attitude,” said Mr. Jennings.

MTA Administrative Manager Frank Marino hired Matt. “When we started up our department, I had a dream of chemistry,” he explained. “He was the youngest guy in the group at that time and we needed his young energy. He was like a Michael Jordan. You put him in there and he’s going to shine. But he also enabled others to see how good they could be. He was the glue — the piece that made it all work.”

Mr. Marino has no trouble listing the qualities that make Matthew Zephyr such a valued employee and friend. “He’s an absolute angel to work with — he presents himself with confidence, dignity and politeness. It’s all on his face, and when he opens his mouth to speak, it just gets better.”

Called to serve
Matthew’s tour of duty in the National Guard was scheduled to expire in August 2004. But in December, the day before he and Audrena were to leave on a vacation trip, Matt was called up for active duty. On the weekend before his birthday in April, Audrena visited him at Ft. Dix. “I didn’t know if I would get to see him on his birthday,” she said. “I brought him a homemade dinner. He likes my native food, so I cooked oxtails with peas and rice and we celebrated his birthday with cheesecake.”

On April 9, Matt shipped out. “This is the first time we’ve really been separated,” said Audrena. “The most we’ve been apart was for his two-week drills with the National Guard.”

Matt telephones whenever he gets a chance. “Some days are harder than others, especially if I don’t hear from him. He needs me to be strong,” she added.

Grace under pressure
It’s clear that Matt is protecting his wife. “He won’t say anything about how it is over there,” said Audrena. “He doesn’t want me to worry. When I talk to him, he’s happy to hear from me. It uplifts him. I’m not able to get a read on how he is. He says he’s fine. That’s all I know.”

Once a week, Matt calls his friends at work. “I put the entire group on the phone,” said Mr. Marino. “He’s always asking about us —how’s this guy and that guy? But I have thoughts of horror when I watch the news every night. There are not enough prayers that can be said.”

Sgt. Zephyr’s co-workers at MTA watch the news and think of their friend Matthew. “I feel terrible for his family. I miss him. It’s kind of hard to fill that spot,” said Rodney Jennings. “I’m hoping he gets back safe and as quickly as possible,” said Tommy Smith.