Ranger Is First Soldier From Iraq War Buried at Arlington
Saluted as “a warrior and a Ranger,” Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe was laid to rest Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery, the first soldier from the Iraq war to be buried on the historic grounds.
Rippetoe, 27, an Army Ranger from Arvada, Colo., and two other soldiers were killed last week when a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint.
A bandaged Spc. Chad Thibodeau, who was wounded in the blast, watched the service from a wheelchair. Another Ranger, injured in a separate incident in Iraq, was on crutches with a heavy knee brace.
Eight Rangers from Rippetoe’s unit, wearing khaki berets and blinking back tears, were honorary pallbearers.
Rippetoe’s parents were given the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart their son was posthumously awarded.
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