Army veteran killed when truck hit him ‘always looked at bright side,’ friend says

Keven Gordon’s comrades counted on him to ease their nerves with a joke or a smile even in the most somber circumstances during their combat tour in Iraq.

The Army driver kept his troops awake during late-night missions with light-hearted banter. Offduty, he honed his aim during Nerf gun fights with his tentmates.

“He always had a goofy smile on his face,” said longtime friend Johnathan Davis. “He was always having fun, and always looked at the bright side.”

Just before Memorial Day, however, his friends and family were forced to grapple with disaster. Police said a driver in southeast Houston intentionally struck the 33-year-old veteran, who died at Ben Taub Hospital.

Houston police on Friday arrested the driver, who has not been identified. Detective Kyle Heaverlo said the driver surrendered at the urging of his front-seat passenger.

Gordon, a husband and father of five who deployed twice to Iraq, had recently moved to Galveston, long one of his favorite places for fishing.

He left home Thursday and hadn’t returned by midnight.

Heaverlo said his wife located him at 8300 Winkler. The two argued in the parking lot, and Gordon walked into the street in front of a pickup truck.

“He refused to move for whatever reason,” Heaverlo said. An argument arose between Gordon and the driver, who intentionally struck him and fled.

A fellow veteran who requested anonymity feared Gordon may have struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning to the U.S. in 2009, which might have influenced his actions that night.

Friends recalled Gordon as a sunny, dedicated friend with a passion for fishing and military history.

While off-duty overseas, Davis said, Gordon convened his buddies to cut loose and talk about their families.

The veteran who requested anonymity said Gordon took his responsibilities seriously and constantly looked out for those serving alongside him. The two men lived together for a year at Fort Hood prior to deployment.Friends said he was deeply devoted to his wife and children. His family, on Facebook, grieved his loss.

“I will always miss your smile and laugh, you were one of a kind,” one person wrote.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established in his name.