Associated Press
Sgt. 1st Class James MacKenzie plays "Taps" during the funeral of Army Ranger Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe at Arlington National Cemetery.
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ARLINGTON, Va. – Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe was laid to rest Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery, the first soldier from the Iraqi conflict to be buried on the historic grounds.
Rippetoe, 27, an Army Ranger from Denver, and two other soldiers were killed April 4 when a car bomb exploded at an Iraqi checkpoint.
Another Ranger who was wounded in the incident was bandaged and witnessed the service from a wheelchair. Another, injured in a seperate incident in Iraq, was on crutches with a heavy knee brace.
Eight Rangers from his unit, wearing khaki berets and blinking back tears, were honorary pallbearers.
"When he joined, he joined full force. He didn't just join the Army, he joined the Rangers," said Lt. Col. James May, an Army chaplain. "Russell was a man who loved his troops and they loved him."
Next to the grave, framed with a wreath of flowers, were pictures of Rippetoe, grinning as a infant, others as a young soldier in fatigues smiling in a tent and holding a rifle, and another kissing his mother on the cheek.
Associated Press
Army Ranger Capt. Shawn Daniel, left, presents the flag to Rita, the mother of Army Ranger Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, as his father, retired Lt. Col. Joe Rippetoe looks on.
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The seven-member rifle party fired three volleys and a bugler played "Taps." Rippetoe's father and mother were presented with the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart that their son was posthumously awarded.
His father, retired Lt. Col. Joe Rippetoe, who was wounded during two tours in Vietnam, was in uniform and saluted the Rangers as they knelt in front of the parents expressing condolences.
Rippetoe was a fire support officer, who called in airstrikes and artillery support for his unit, said Capt. Logan Stanton, who was based with Rippetoe at Fort Benning, Ga.
"He loved being in the Rangers," Stanton said. "He was a warrior and a Ranger."
Rippetoe was manning a checkpoint in Iraq when a pregnant woman jumped from a car stopped at the checkpoint screaming in fear. The soldiers approached the car when it exploded, killing two Rangers, the woman and the driver of the car, according to the Defense Department.
He was born July 21, 1975, and spent most of his childhood in Bellevue, Neb., until his family moved to Denver in 1988. He graduated from Broomfield High School in Denver 1993 and Metro State College in 1999. He was a member of the University of Colorado ROTC program. After college, he joined the Rangers in the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger regiment at Fort Benning.
