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We Honor and Remember:
Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr.
Age: 30 years old. Hometown: Blairstown, New Jersey. Died: December 11, 2011 in Operation Enduring Freedom, Kunar Konar, Afghanistan. Unit: 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Birth: Aug. 22, 1981, New Jersey, USA Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., 30, of Blairstown, N.J., died Dec. 11, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. In addition to his mother and stepfather, Sandra Osborne McDonald and Ian McDonald, he is survived by wife, Stephanie Kasper of New Jersey; 2 daughters, Kaylee and Leah Wildrick, both of New Jersey; maternal grandmother, Barbara Osborne of New Jersey; a sister, Christie Berkey and husband John of Woodsboro where Ron considered home; brother, M Sgt Joseph M. Osborne USAF and wife Michelle of Maryland; 2 half-sisters, Debra Stickles and Susan Benziger, both of New Jersey; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Burial: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA. Plot: Section 60 Site 10009 |
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WOODSBORO, Md. - They spilled onto sidewalks, hiked through corn fields, and hoisted flags in the air. Many cried. Some had kept their kids home from school. Eight-year-olds held homemade signs that read "Thank you for serving our country." And even those not known for their patience were willing to wait.
"Hour and a half. Doesn't matter. I had lunch plans, but that doesn't matter either," says Mary Cutshall. Their sacrifice could never be anything like the one made by Army Specialist Ronald Wildrick Jr. and his family. Wildrick died on December 11 when his truck hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. This is his final journey home from Dover, Del. to tiny Woodsboro, Md. Hundreds lined the streets to salute the procession carrying Wildrick's casket. "Number one - they're our neighbors. We're a small town. Second, we're Americans," says Maria Beyer. And third, her son, Benjamin, is home on leave and headed back to Afghanistan soon. "I'm scared. I'd like to see them all come home one day soon," says Beyer. Residents say they weren't surprised by the large turnout, but they are proud. "It says a lot about our community. That we really do pull together and care about one another. He's one of ours - whether we know him or not," says Colette Wolf. Wildrick had told his family that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His Arlington burial is scheduled for Friday. U.S. Army Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr. earned several awards and decorations for his service, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement, including:
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The family of Spec. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., 30, stand before the tree planted at Picatinny Arsenal in his honor.
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Woodsboro soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Members of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, set down the flag-covered casket of Army Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr. on Friday at Arlington National Cemetery. During his first two years of military service, Army Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr. was a member of the elite Continental Color Guard. The Old Guard mans the caisson at all military interment services at Arlington National Cemetery and serves as the honor guard for Army burials.On Friday, Wildrick's former unit honored him as he was laid to rest among more than 300,000 of the nation's service members in the hallowed ground of Arlington. A band and honor guard unit accompanied the horse-drawn caisson carrying Wildrick's casket to the grave site. Capt. Brandon Denning, Army chaplain, briefly addressed the mourners, speaking of the honor in laying down one's life for others. "It has been said that there are only two people who would give their lives for us, Jesus Christ and the American soldier," Denning said. "There is hope today, and that hope is that Jesus Christ also died for us." The honor guard fired a 21-gun salute, and the band played taps before closing the ceremony with "America the Beautiful." Maj. Gen. Bernie Champoux, who commands the 25th Infantry in which Wildrick served, presented flags to Wildrick's mother, Sandra Osborne McDonald, and his sister, Christie Berkey. Wildrick, 30, died Dec. 11 in Afghanistan's Kunar province when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion 35th 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, training Afghan soldiers and police to fight insurgents. |
New Jersey Run for the Fallen 2024 ~ Click photos to enlarge...
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New Jersey Run for the Fallen 2023 ~ Click photos to enlarge...
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