‘Never met anyone more selfless,’ grieving wife says about NJ man killed in Ukraine

🌍 Pete Reed, a Marine veteran from New Jersey, was killed last week in Ukraine

🌍 Reed is one of 7 Americans who've died in the Ukraine-Russia conflict

🌍 He was remembered as selfless citizen of the world

People around the world this weekend were hearing about a New Jersey man who had dedicated his life to aiding people in some of the deadliest, war-ravaged places.

Pete Reed, a 33-year-old Marine Corps veteran from Bordentown whose humanitarian work began in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey, was killed Thursday while helping Ukrainian civilians evacuate.

Reed's vehicle is believed to have been struck by a missile in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, The Guardian reported. Reed is the seventh American to die in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Reed leaves behind a wife, whom he married last year in February.

"I have never met someone more selfless," his wife, Alex Potter, said in a written remembrance. "Everything he did was always for the benefit of others."

"That big personality overlaid the fact that he was also incredibly sensitive, loving, and brave in all aspects of the word, someone who carried me and others through incredibly hard times, placing others’ needs above his own," she added. "I can’t imagine our lives without him. I loved him so much, and he loved me so well."

Gov. Phil Murphy expressed his condolences on Saturday.

"I can speak on behalf of our entire state to say that our hearts are heavy today," Murphy said in a written statement.

"Pete will be remembered for the depth of his courage and his compassion, his selflessness, and his sacrifice. His death serves as a devastating reminder of the catastrophic suffering that this unjustified war has caused. New Jersey will continue to stand on the side of the Ukrainian people in their valiant effort to fight back against Russia’s brutal invasion."

As a Marine from 2007 to 2011, Reed served two deployments in Afghanistan before becoming a ski instructor. But his life as a world humanitarian worker was just beginning.

In 2014, he helped train 33 Haitian EMTs. The following year he went to Northern Iraq to assist in medical training operations, where he remained through the Battle for Mosul, treating more than 10,000 patients.

During his work in Iraq, he became founder and president of Global Response Management, a nonprofit that has provided frontline emergency care in Iraq, Yemen and Syria. Reed considered GRM the “proudest achievement" of his life, Global Outreach Doctors CEO Andrew Lustig said a month ago in announcing Reed as the group's director in Ukraine.

Sergio Bichao is the digital managing editor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com

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