thedrifter
04-26-06, 07:07 AM
Marine raised in Palm Springs dies in Iraq explosion
By Andrew Marra
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
In his decade as a Marine, Staff Sgt. Jason Ramseyer saw battle on some of the world's toughest frontiers: Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq.
But by the time he turned 28, Ramseyer — born and raised in Palm Springs — had two young daughters. He was ready to put the battlefront behind him.
So when he set out for Iraq last month, the career military man hoped it would be his last deployment.
It was, but for all the wrong reasons. Ramseyer, assigned to a security unit guarding a lieutenant colonel, was killed Thursday while inspecting a remote-controlled roadside land mine — another casualty in what may prove to be the bloodiest month this year for the U.S. military.
So far, at least 61 American service members, including Ramseyer, have died this month, putting it on track to pass January with 62 as the deadliest month this year.
Ramseyer spent the first 10 years of his life in the same house in Palm Springs, a village west of Lake Worth in Palm Beach County. He completed elementary school at Kirk Lane Elementary, played Little League baseball on Palm Springs' diamonds and skateboarded over its quiet streets.
When he turned 10, his family moved to Lenoir, N.C., outside Boone. In high school he wrestled and played on the baseball and soccer teams. He stood 5 feet 8 inches.
"He was small but he was so tough," said his aunt, Carolyn Applegate of Wellington.
In high school he also met his future wife, Mandy. He dreamed for a time about being a veterinarian. But one day, at the age of 17, he told his mother he had changed his mind.
He wanted to be a Marine.
He pre-enlisted before he turned 18, so young that his mother had to sign for him. Two weeks after his high school graduation, he was off to boot camp, and a decade in the Marine Corps.
He was stationed most recently at Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, where he lived with his wife and daughters.
He never wanted anything but a military career. But by 28, with his daughters growing up, he was ready to stay at home. He and his wife envisioned him becoming a drill sergeant, training new Marines.
Thursday's explosion ended their plans and destroyed their family.
Ramseyer's mother, Cindy Hicks, learned of his death when two Marines came to her door in North Carolina. The men sat her down and explained what happened:
Ramseyer was in a convoy of three Humvees traveling through Iraq's Anbar province, Hicks recalled.
When the convoy spotted something suspicious in the road, Ramseyer and one of his best friends got out to inspect it. If they saw it was a bomb, they knew they could call for a bomb squad.
But this mine was remote-controlled. As they approached, someone was watching from afar. And when Ramseyer was about 30 meters away, a switch was thrown, Hicks said.
Ramseyer didn't die immediately. He was flown to a hospital. By then he had lost too much blood. His friend survived the explosion, although he may lose a leg.
Hicks said Ramseyer never questioned his duties or his chosen profession.
But Hicks, who said she is writing a letter to President Bush, said there's nothing her son or any other service members can do to defend themselves against a hidden enemy.
"They need to come home," she said. "They need to all come home."
Hicks said she is suffering through the days without grieving. There will be time for that later, she said.
Now is the time to tell the story of her only son.
"That's what gets me out of bed every day," she said. "I have to tell everybody about how great he was."
Ellie
By Andrew Marra
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
In his decade as a Marine, Staff Sgt. Jason Ramseyer saw battle on some of the world's toughest frontiers: Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq.
But by the time he turned 28, Ramseyer — born and raised in Palm Springs — had two young daughters. He was ready to put the battlefront behind him.
So when he set out for Iraq last month, the career military man hoped it would be his last deployment.
It was, but for all the wrong reasons. Ramseyer, assigned to a security unit guarding a lieutenant colonel, was killed Thursday while inspecting a remote-controlled roadside land mine — another casualty in what may prove to be the bloodiest month this year for the U.S. military.
So far, at least 61 American service members, including Ramseyer, have died this month, putting it on track to pass January with 62 as the deadliest month this year.
Ramseyer spent the first 10 years of his life in the same house in Palm Springs, a village west of Lake Worth in Palm Beach County. He completed elementary school at Kirk Lane Elementary, played Little League baseball on Palm Springs' diamonds and skateboarded over its quiet streets.
When he turned 10, his family moved to Lenoir, N.C., outside Boone. In high school he wrestled and played on the baseball and soccer teams. He stood 5 feet 8 inches.
"He was small but he was so tough," said his aunt, Carolyn Applegate of Wellington.
In high school he also met his future wife, Mandy. He dreamed for a time about being a veterinarian. But one day, at the age of 17, he told his mother he had changed his mind.
He wanted to be a Marine.
He pre-enlisted before he turned 18, so young that his mother had to sign for him. Two weeks after his high school graduation, he was off to boot camp, and a decade in the Marine Corps.
He was stationed most recently at Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, where he lived with his wife and daughters.
He never wanted anything but a military career. But by 28, with his daughters growing up, he was ready to stay at home. He and his wife envisioned him becoming a drill sergeant, training new Marines.
Thursday's explosion ended their plans and destroyed their family.
Ramseyer's mother, Cindy Hicks, learned of his death when two Marines came to her door in North Carolina. The men sat her down and explained what happened:
Ramseyer was in a convoy of three Humvees traveling through Iraq's Anbar province, Hicks recalled.
When the convoy spotted something suspicious in the road, Ramseyer and one of his best friends got out to inspect it. If they saw it was a bomb, they knew they could call for a bomb squad.
But this mine was remote-controlled. As they approached, someone was watching from afar. And when Ramseyer was about 30 meters away, a switch was thrown, Hicks said.
Ramseyer didn't die immediately. He was flown to a hospital. By then he had lost too much blood. His friend survived the explosion, although he may lose a leg.
Hicks said Ramseyer never questioned his duties or his chosen profession.
But Hicks, who said she is writing a letter to President Bush, said there's nothing her son or any other service members can do to defend themselves against a hidden enemy.
"They need to come home," she said. "They need to all come home."
Hicks said she is suffering through the days without grieving. There will be time for that later, she said.
Now is the time to tell the story of her only son.
"That's what gets me out of bed every day," she said. "I have to tell everybody about how great he was."
Ellie