Army Sgt. Reyes was assigned to the Army National Guard's 947th Engineer Company, Durango, Colorado. Reyes died when the bus in which he was riding rolled over en route to Ali Al Salem, Kuwait. It is believed he was heading to an airport to catch a connecting flight into Iraq when the accident happened.

Luis graduated in 1997 from Montbello High School in Denver, Colorado, where he was an ROTC cadet serving as the Cadet Logistics Officer. After graduation, he enlisted in the Colorado Army National Guard as a technical engineer and was headed to Iraq to build and repair roads. He was mobilized on September 7 for a 15-month deployment and was awarded the Army Achievement Medal for superior proficiency in his performance of duties and the Expert Marksmanship badge for both his skills with a rifle and a grenade.

His wife, Christina, wants people to know that he was a loving family man who had a passion for military service – he was proud of what he did; proud to be a soldier. Luis had a premonition that he wasn't coming home. The day before he was killed, his wife received a card, the day after she received a package – he sent Christmas presents to his children.

Luis was a loving father to Sienna and Nikko Reyes. Son of Jose Luis Reyes and Tomasa Reyes, brother of Roger Reyes and Michelle and Stephanie Reyes.