Master Sgt. John Reed, a Special Forces Operations Sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., will announce the Tennessee Titans’ fourth-round draft choice on Saturday afternoon at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
“I will not be nervous. It’s an honor to represent the Titans, I shouldn’t mess that up,” Reed told Nashville-area reporters earlier this week. “It’s almost unreal, it’s not something I would do -- that’s something I would have a younger guy do. My commander was adamant so I’m not going to say no to that.”
Reed, who has served in the Army for 22 years and has six deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom, was part of the third team to be deployed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack. From October 2001 through April 2002, members of his unit conducted unconventional warfare against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces. In less than six months, the 5th SFG (A), a regimental-sized force effectively destroyed the popular base of the Taliban government and toppled the terrorist-sponsored state of Afghanistan.
Members from Reed’s group, also known as The Legion, buried a piece of a building from the World Trade Center in a ceremony in Afghanistan to pay tribute to the victims of the September 11 tragedy. Reed also had plans to visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center during his trip to New York.
“After the draft that’s number one on the checklist, we definitely want to go down there and see that,” Reed said.
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