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A
father's farewell
Parent
of former UM student
remembers his fallen soldier
The
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks sent shock waves around the world,
and subsequent events have claimed one of our own. On Oct.
19, Army Ranger Kris Stonesifer, 28, was killed in a helicopter
crash near Afghanistan. He was among the first casualties
of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Stonesifer
was a University of Montana student from August 1999 to
May 2000. He majored in philosophy, maintaining a 3.5 grade-point
average, and was top cadet in UM's ROTC program. He left
UM one semester shy of graduation to try out for the elite
Army Rangers.
In
the following article, Stonesifer's dad, Ric, in his own
words describes the son he lost:
Thanks
for your expressions of support for my family and me. This
has been the most difficult time of our lives. No one can
be prepared for the sudden loss of a child. Even though
Kristofor was a young man of 28 years, he was still our
child as well as a brother, a nephew, a cousin, an uncle
and a friend. Infinite sorrow does not begin to describe
the pain of his loss.
Although
Kris died fighting for his country, he was not a flag-waving
ultra patriot, at least not on the surface. He had ideals
like every young person, but also he had values, honor and
character. He acquired these attributes well before he joined
the Army, but the Army, especially the Special Operations
units, seems to attract young men of similar strengths.
How
impressive it was to see the bond between the young Rangers
the Army sent to Kris' memorial service. Since all members
of Kris' battalion were deployed, 21 Rangers from the First
Battalion served as his honor guard. None knew Kris personally,
but all knew him as a brother Ranger because of the similar
experiences they had shared.
These
experiences serve to bond the young men personally as well
as to the unit as a whole. When going into harm's way, it's
the closeness of this bond, the knowledge that my buddy
is depending on me (and I on him) that motivates these men.
The teamwork and the inherent trust of their brother Rangers
are the factors that build the atmosphere of high character
and honor that prevails within the Ranger Battalions and
other Special Operations units.
The
Army's selection process for Ranger duty serves to nurture
these nebulous attributes of honor and character. Much personal
sacrifice goes into being a Ranger -- desire must be extreme.
For example, of the 219 Airborne qualified soldiers with
Kris who volunteered for Ranger Indoctrination, a three-week
course to eliminate those whose desire is not extreme enough,
only 21 completed the course to become Rangers. No man failed,
but 199 requested to drop out; hence, the term "elite
unit."
The
brotherhood built on shared common experiences grew. Constant
training and repeated exercises with the members of the
team further contributed to strengthen the concept of teamwork,
of protecting your buddy.
So it was with this spirit that Kris and his squad entered
into combat. Had he been on the ground with fellow Rangers,
doing the job he was trained to do, he might well be here
today.
The
Army only became part of Kris' life in 1999 when he decided
to go back to college. Since his brother had always had
a positive experience in the Army, Kris decided to investigate
the ROTC program at The University of Montana. As a full-time
student, Kris needed the additional cash the Army could
supply. As a philosophy major, Kris could graduate in two
years and receive a commission as a second lieutenant in
the Army Reserves.
He
excelled as an ROTC cadet, astonishing the instructors with
his physical training scores. Academically he also did extremely
well but concluded that he wanted to get into the special
operations side of the Army. As an officer, he would have
to wait until he was a Captain (about four years) before
he could be considered for Special Forces; but as an enlisted
soldier he could apply sooner. He decided that the Ranger
Regiment was the place to start his special operations training.
Suspending
his college career, he enlisted, finishing Basic the week
before Thanksgiving of 2000. Airborne training was next;
it was completed before Christmas leave. Then, the challenge
began -- Ranger Indoctrination.
Sometime
after his first two years of college Kris developed an interest
in wilderness survival and nature. He discovered Tom Brown's
Tracker School in Asbury, N.J., where Tom and his instructors
teach tracking, nature awareness and wilderness survival.
An explanation of the Tracker School is needed. As a child,
Tom Brown was greatly influenced by his best friend's grandfather,
an Apache Indian elder, medicine man and scout. The boys
would accompany "Grandfather" into the woods of
the Pine Barrens and learn the art of survival, how to track
and the way of nature. Tom Brown has since authored 16 books
and established the school to teach and perpetuate the philosophy,
methods and techniques of the Apache scout.
Although
Kris never directly said it, I would tell people that his
ambition was to become an Apache scout. I would then explain
about Tom Brown and the Tracker School.
From
the seven classes Kris took, he acquired the ability to
move silently and unseen through the forest; he learned
the means of concealment that allows one to become part
of one's surroundings; he learned animal tracking and track
identification; and learned survival skills: finding water
and food, building shelter and fire; trapping, making tools
and primitive tanning.
There
are debris huts from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Montana that
he constructed and used that are testimony to his dedication
and to his commitment to nature. He did this as a vegan
vegetarian. In addition to not eating meat, vegans don't
eat dairy products or food with dairy or animal ingredients
(including honey), nor do they wear clothing made from animal
products (wool or leather).
He
and his longtime girlfriend, Erin Lorch, the sister of a
close high school friend, adhered strictly to these beliefs
for a number of years, but due to the need to stay healthy
and fit (the Army vegetarian diet was not sufficient as
a Ranger), Kris reverted to the more conventional diet as
did Erin for similar health reasons.
Whenever
Kris came home to Doylestown, Penn., whether to take another
Tom Brown class or just to see Mom and Dad, he would spend
time in Peace Valley Park honing his stalking and camouflaging
skills. To his chagrin, he found that some animals in the
park were two-legged. They were either very noisy, tending
to frighten the four-legged variety away, or very, very,
quiet, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. The
quiet ones would find what they thought was a secluded spot
only to be startled by the thump of Kris abandoning his
tree perch or by a disembodied voice out of nowhere suggesting
that this spot was taken. Direct confrontation was the least
recommended procedure; the stealthy retreat was often better,
but often proved impossible.
In
the early fall of 1998, Kris took me into the mountains
along the Appalachian Trail near the Delaware Gap. Halfway
on our four-hour hike, he stumbled upon some wildlife communing
with nature in a firebreak -- a wide-open area cut in the
trees to inhibit the spread of a forest fire. These were
the two-legged variety in plain view of the trail we hiked
on. The Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine for
more than 2,000 miles and is considered very public. The
indiscrete couple, focusing so intently on themselves that
they didn't notice us, continued on as we passed by following
the blazes on the trees that marked the trail. Kris and
I wondered how many other hikers had the same encounter
and resisted reaching into the couple's pickup truck and
hitting the horn button.
We
hiked another two hours until we found a suitable campsite.
Our provisions consisted of a canteen of water, a blanket
and a pocketknife. Our optional provisions were cornmeal
for Kris and a camera for me. I, of course, recorded the
"survival" outing while he prepared ash cakes
for us to feast on. About three times during the night we
awoke to forage for firewood and brush off the spiders.
It was cold! There was no need to build a debris hut because
it wasn't cold enough (according to my guide). Our breakfast
the next morning was ash cakes again baked on the hot coals
of the fire.
Where
the Delaware River cuts through the mountains the trail
descends to civilization -- a town in this instance that
had a bakery with many freshly made baked goods. This was
a fine place for a carnivore, but had few tasty items for
vegans. Kris found a Snapple while I devoured milk and a
coffee cake made with lots of dairy. He didn't seem hungry
-- he must have eaten tree bark and leaves during the hike
back to the staging area that morning.
This
has been a quick look at a very complex, warm and sensitive
young man who loved life and loved nature. He could discuss
abstract philosophical concepts with university professors
or drink beer with his buddy Luke and crack jokes, closing
a different Key West bar every night of their vacation.
He was not a fanatical, love-it-or-leave-it American. He
was a quiet patriot. He was ordinary in so many ways, but
special in so many other ways. He knew he was loved and
was able to share his love.
We
miss him so much it hurts. With time I'm told the pain will
dull, but the memory will always be sharp of my 3-week-old
son rooting around my biceps waiting for his Mom and latching
onto my skin, sucking so hard that it raised a red welt
the size of a quarter. His poor nursing mom!
I will also miss one of the most cherished sounds a father
hears when his son comes home: "Hello.Dad!"
Again,
thank you for your expressions of sympathy and condolence,
your prayers and thoughts. We hope that Kris' spirit will
live on in his new nephew, Kristofor, born on Oct. 14.
Ric
Stonesifer
Nov. 6, 2001
Kris
Stonesifer has received some moving tributes since his death.
First, his older brother, Ric Stonesifer Jr., named his
newborn son for Kris. Then Gary Herbig, a UM ROTC cadet
who graduated in 1969, had music composed in Kris' honor.
Herbig works on the WB television program "Seventh
Heaven," and he asked the show's composer, Dan Foliart,
to write and dedicate some music for the fallen Ranger.
The music features Herbig on soprano sax, and it was used
in a Nov. 5 episode titled "Mary Comes Home."
Ric Sr. said, "The music is only 44 seconds, but it's
haunting."
Ric
Stonesifer Sr. lives in Pennsylvania, where he works as
chief test engineer for a company that designs software
for the Department of Defense. A former Navy pilot, he retired
from the military as a captain in 1999 after 27 years and
3,500 hours of flight time.
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