Rudy Reyes

Reyes was born in 1971 to a United States Marine father en route to Vietnam. Reyes was raised by his grandparents until 1976 when both his grandmother and grandfather died in the same year. He spent the next few years being shuffled between relatives and eventually the Omaha Home for Boys. At 15, Reyes started studying kung fu. At 17, Reyes emancipated himself and took custody of his two younger brothers, after which he moved to Kansas City, Missouri. There, he continued to study and teach kung fu with his brothers. Both Rudy and one of his younger brothers, Michael, worked at Lucille's Restaurant in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1990s.In 1998, Reyes joined the United States Marine Corps and was ultimately selected for (and passed) Marine Recon training. He served in Afghanistan and took part in the Iraq war. Reyes served on the USS Dubuque and often led platoon PT sessions on ship. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Reyes was a team leader within the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, which became the tip of the spear as the 1st Marine Division advanced on Baghdad; journalist Evan Wright embedded within Reyes' platoon and later wrote Generation Kill, a book depicting the events of the invasion from the perspective of the Recon Marines.