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Town grieves for two Army Rangers
10/23/01By ELLIOTT MINOR
Associated Press Writer
FORT BENNING, Ga. — Kelli Bass got choked up Monday when she thought about the hazards her Army Ranger buddies may be facing in Afghanistan.
``One of them is like my brother,'' said Bass, who cuts hair at Ranger Joe's Barber Shop, which specializes in the Rangers' ``high-and-tight'' haircuts. ``If something were to happen to him, I'd lose it.''
She and the other barbers at Ranger Joe's said they remember the two Rangers from Fort Benning who were killed in a helicopter accident in Pakistan.
Spc. Jonn Joseph Edmunds, 20, of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Pfc. Kristofor Tif Stonesifer, 28, of Missoula, Mont., were the first American combat-related deaths of the U.S.-led anti-terror campaign.
``They're not only customers, they are people you get close to,'' Bass' father, barber Earl Brannon, said of the Rangers stationed at the base. ``If you lose one, it hurts.''
Ranger representatives met with reporters Monday in front of Fort Benning's Ranger Memorial, a marble monument honoring the elite fighting force.
``Everybody feels the loss of a fellow Ranger,'' said Lt. Col. Mark Ritter, deputy commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment. ``We're continuing to prepare ourselves. Training goes on.''
``Whenever you lose a Ranger, your condolences go out, but we all know when we sign on that there are going to be sacrifices,'' said Staff Sgt. Randy Duncan, 25, of Greeley, Colo.
The Rangers planned a memorial service Tuesday at an undisclosed location for Edmunds and Stonesifer, who were killed Friday as their helicopter was preparing for search-and-rescue duty in neighboring Afghanistan, where Rangers have led the ground war.
``I'm extremely proud of my son. He was doing what he wanted to do,'' Edmunds' father, Donn Edmunds, told reporters Monday outside his home in Cheyenne, Wyo.
The Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, based on the sprawling post near Columbus, Ga., has about 2,000 soldiers spread among three battalions at Fort Benning, Fort Lewis, Wash., and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah.
Ritter said Rangers are accustomed to hardships and understand they may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.
``It saddens you,'' he said. ``At the same time it gives you more resolve to train our soldiers to be ready for future operations. Rangers are prepared to do any missions our nation asks us to do. Those missions are inherently dangerous.''
In 1993, 18 Army Rangers and Army Delta Force commandos were killed during a fierce firefight in Somalia. The bodies of some soldiers were dragged through the streets.
Columbus, about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta, prides itself on patriotism and support for the military.
``It's a friendly community and we totally support our troops,'' Mayor Bobby Peters said. ``The two young Rangers who died certainly hit home.''