Sponsored by

1LT Robert A. Seidel III

Bronze Star

BRONZE STAR CITATION
Award of the Bronze Star Medal to br>

Frederick News-Post
FREDERICK NEWS-POST br> FREDERICK NEWS-POST May 20th, 2006 EMMITSBURG -- "My words can't describe him," said Catoctin High School football coach Doug Williams. Robert Seidel III, class of 2000, had it all. "He could do anything in the future. If he was still alive, Lord knows what he would have been able to do," Mr. Williams said. "He sounds like he's make believe, but I'm telling you, he's that kind of guy." U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III was killed Thursday in Iraq when a Humvee he was in hit an improvised explosive device. The family learned of his death that day. The U.S. Department of Defense had not released any further information about Lt. Seidel's death Friday; a spokesman at Fort Drum, N.Y., said he could not provide details. Lt. Seidel was a rifle platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y. Lt. Seidel was one of two 2000 Catoctin High School graduates, close friends, to be selected for the nation's elite armed forces academies. Lt. Seidel graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2004, and Ensign Ryan Rippeon graduated the same year from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Ensign Rippeon's mother, Victoria Rippeon of Lewistown, said that in middle school, Lt. Seidel and her son won writing contests from the Thurmont American Legion, both with essays about patriotism and the flag. She and her husband and Lt. Seidel's family worked concession stands for four years while the boys played football. Once they reached college, the boys regularly got together for the Army-Navy football game. "It's just a devastating loss," Ms. Rippeon said. "He was just an outstanding person. I hope through all this, through such a loss, that some good will come out of our sons and daughters being over there. I really hope they're making a difference, because they're everything to us." She said she e-mailed Ensign Rippeon, whom she believes is on a destroyer, but she hasn't heard and doesn't know if her son knows about his friend's death. "I think at this point all we have to say is that we think it's a sad thing. We're going to miss him a lot," said Lt. Seidel's grandfather, Robert Seidel Sr. of Emmitsburg, as he struggled to speak. Lt. Seidel's parents, Robert Seidel Jr. and Sandy Seidel, live in Gettysburg. Gov. Thomas Johnson High School principal Marlene A. Tarr, who had been Lt. Seidel's principal at Catoctin, remembered someone who did everything right. "He was an outstanding kid. Good student, great athlete, great sense of humor, great family. He was a fine young man," she said. Ms. Rippeon, who teaches art at Thurmont Elementary School, said Lt. Seidel was extremely intelligent and that he attracted people naturally with his wit and charm. Lt. Seidel played four years of football at Catoctin High and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Mr. Williams said. He would play any position, willing to sacrifice personal glory for the good of the team. His sense of humor also set him apart, Mr. Williams said. "He was the funniest daggone kid. He had a dry sense of humor," Mr. Williams said. "He'd say something, and it'd take you five minutes to get it. He'd bring a smile to your face." Mary DeMarco always kidded Lt. Seidel's uncle, Richard Seidel, on his regular early morning stop at Market Bagel and Deli in Frederick. "We always teased him to bring in his nephew, because he was so good looking," Ms. DeMarco, the deli's manager, said Friday. "We said when he comes home you have to bring him in here." As a favor to her loyal customer, she'd hung the young soldier's picture on the wall. Richard Seidel didn't go to the deli Friday. He was with his family at his father's home in Emmitsburg, waiting for his brother and sister-in-law, who had just received a visit from a military officer about their son. Catoctin High math teacher Carol Forman taught Lt. Seidel honors geometry and calculus. She didn't know about her former student's death until she walked into school; the news was a shock. "He always liked to make you laugh," she said. Kelly Ann Hinchcliffe of Durham, N.C., who graduated from Catoctin High the same year as Lt. Seidel, said when she learned of her classmate's death, the first thing she remembered was his great sense of humor. "I cried when I read his story. I feel so sorry for his family," she said. "When I saw his name, I immediately remembered him and could picture his face." Lt. Seidel last spoke with his mother and father on Mother's Day FREDERICK NEWS-POST May 23rd, 2006 The local community has lost another of its sons. U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III was killed last week in Iraq. The circumstances of his death were not unusual for that war-torn part of the world. He was killed by an IED, an improvised explosive device, while riding in an Army Humvee. By all accounts, Lt. Seidel was an outstanding soldier and person. He was well liked and respected by those who knew him -- friends and their parents, coaches, teachers. He was an athlete, scholar and young patriot. He graduated from Catoctin High School in 2000 and from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point four years later. It's difficult to make sense out of the death of any young person, especially someone as special as Lt. Seidel. When that death comes as a result of military duty it may give rise to conflicting feelings about the brutality and senselessness of war, but also about sacrifice and devotion to one's country and fellow Americans. Of the more than 2,450 deaths of American service personnel so far in the Iraq conflict, there have been many Robert Seidels -- outstanding young men and women who came from loving families, stable backgrounds and whose happy lives had been filled with achievement and honors. There have also been many who came from broken homes, poverty-stricken environments and whose histories are lacking any remarkable academic, athletic or other traditional achievement. Despite this wide range of backgrounds, all these individuals made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow servicemen and women, and their country -- and none of these sacrifices can ultimately be judged greater than another. Yet for each family, circle of friends and acquaintances, and communities that have suffered the loss of a young man or woman in this war, that loss is personal, special and grievous. So it is with Lt. Seidel, a youthful soldier of great substance, courage and devotion. Ensign Ryan Rippeon graduated with Lt. Seidel from Catoctin High and went on to service in the U.S. Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy. Contemplating a photograph of the two young men, standing together poised and confident in uniform at the 2002 Army-Navy game, gives rise to a multitude of thoughts and emotions. How can a family and community sort out such a perplexing and hurtful revelation such as the crushing news that Lt. Robert Seidel III had been killed in combat? We were struck by the comment of Ensign Rippeon's mother, Victoria Rippeon of Lewisdale, as she contemplated Lt. Seidel's passing. " ... I hope through all this, through such a loss, that some good will come out of our sons and daughters being over there. I really hope they're making a difference, because they're everything to us." No matter what one's feeling about the American presence in Iraq, the humanity of Ms. Rippeon's sentiment goes to the heart of the matter. FREDERICK NEWS-POST May 23rd, 2006 EMMITSBURG -- The body of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III returned to the United States about 1:30 p.m. Monday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Lt. Seidel's body will be kept at the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs for several days while it is prepared to be sent to Stauffer Funeral Home in Thurmont, according to Lt. Seidel's mother Sandy and the Dover Air Force Base Department of Public Affairs. Lt. Seidel, 23, was killed Thursday while on a routine patrol in Baghdad when the Humvee he was riding in hit an improvised explosive device. A lieutenant colonel came to his parents house in Gettysburg, Pa., the same day to inform his family of the death. Robert Seidel Jr., Lt. Seidel's father, said he wasn't exactly sure when his son's body would arrive back in Maryland, but he believes it could be Thursday or Friday. The body will be identified, cosmetized, dressed in full military uniform and placed in a casket before it is shipped to the funeral home, according to the office of public affairs at Dover Air Force Base. Lt. Seidel's funeral will be held in the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, located in St. Joseph's Provincial House in Emmitsburg. A date and time for Lt. Seidel's funeral are being arranged. He will be buried in St. Joseph's Church Cemetery on South Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg. More than two dozen veterans are buried at the church's two cemeteries. The Rev. James Kiernan, a former pastor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church who now lives in Philadelphia, will conduct the funeral. The Rev. Kiernan met Robert Seidel Jr. when his son was 12 years old. The Rev. Kiernan was in a seminary at the time and working with youth during the summer. Over the years, the Rev. Kiernan remained in contact with Mr. Seidel. He married Robert and Sandy Seidel and got to know Lt. Seidel during visits to Emmitsburg over the years. In 2000, the Rev. Kiernan was assigned to St. Joseph's Church in Emmitsburg. The Rev. Kiernan said Lt. Seidel helped him move into the church rectory. "He was nice young man, a respectable young man," the Rev. Kiernan said. "What I most liked about Rob, particularly when he got older, was his sense of humor. He had this good, dry wit about him." When he heard the news of Lt. Seidel's death, the Rev. Kiernan said he called the family, who then asked him to conduct the funeral. "Personally, I think it's a privilege," he said. "I appreciated that they asked me." The Rev. Vincent O'Malley has been pastor at St. Joseph's for the past two years. He said he, too, got to know Lt. Seidel when the young man made visits home. "He was very bright and a man of integrity and a man of self-sacrifice. Everybody spoke of him as a very caring person, who (did) good for others," the Rev. O'Malley said. Flags throughout Thurmont are at half-staff, he said. "I think the whole town of Emmitsburg feels this death, deeply." During his Sunday service, the Rev. O'Malley spoke about Lt. Seidel to his congregation. "The whole town and surrounding neighborhoods are heartbroken at this tragic loss," read the homily. "My friends, life is short. Whether we live 23 years like Rob Seidel, or 70-80 as the Scriptures say, our lives are over 'life a passing shadow.'" Shannon Boyle, telecommunications manager at St. Joseph's Provincial House, also remembered Lt. Seidel. She said the entire town is in mourning. The funeral is going to be held at the basilica because it is larger than the church, she said. "The 800 seats are going to be filled," Ms. Boyle said. Lt. Seidel was a rifle platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion in the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y. He was a 2000 graduate of Catoctin High School and a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. At the Seidel's home in Gettysburg, Ms. Seidel said the family has received an outpouring of condolences from friends, family and strangers. "We've gotten cards from people who don't even know us," she said. She said the family is taking things day by day. "We just keep trying to convince ourselves that this is what he wanted to do and regardless of the outcome he would do it again." FREDERICK NEWS-POST May 23rd, 2006 Born in Philadelphia, David Michael Branning was a resident of Cockeysville when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He spent his freshman and sophomore years in high school at Waldorf School and Carver Center for Arts and Technology, where he specialized in the visual arts. For his junior and senior years Branning transferred to Dulaney High School. He participated in a work-study program in which he had a job at Oregon Grille restaurant in Hunt Valley. Branning didn’t particularly like school, but he was a dependable employee. He graduated from Dulaney in 2001. The achievement, however, left him at a crossroads, according to his step-mother Tia Steele. Branning was not sure what to do next. He considered a variety of options, including travel in France. Weighing out the possibilities, taking into account “a combination of things, mostly economic,” she says, he decided to join the Marine Corps in 2002. Steele and Branning’s father, Daniel C. Branning, were both shocked, yet they supported his decision. “He was very much his own person,” Steele said. “He wasn’t willfull. As long as I knew him he assumed his own responsibilities.” Branning was assigned to the Hawaii-based 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. In Hawaii he learned to surf and sky dive and rock climb. By 20 he left for Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom — less interested in painting at that point than reading books. He brought along Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” The last book he mentioned to his step-mother was “The Journey of Crazy Horse.” On Nov. 12, 2004, Lance Corporal David Michael Branning was ordered to kick in the door of a private home in Fallujah, Iraq. He was shot in the throat, instantly killed. He was 21. The 16th resident of Maryland to die in Iraq, 22 more soldiers have died since, including, as of late, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III, of Emmitsburg. On Thursday, May 18, a Humvee he traveled in was struck by an improvised explosive device. FREDERICK NEWS-POST 1LT Robert Seidel III As originally published on Friday, May 26, 2006. 1LT Robert "Rob" A. Seidel III, U.S.A., 23, of Gettysburg, Pa. (formerly of Emmitsburg, Md.), died on Thursday, May 18, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq, while in service to his country. Born October 27, 1982 in Frederick, Md., he was the son of Robert Jr. and Sandra Giannini Seidel of Gettysburg, Pa. Rob was a graduate of Catoctin High School, class of 2000 and graduated in 2004 from the U.S. Military Academy of West Point. He was a rifle platoon leader in Company B, 2nd Battalion the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, out of Ft. Drum, N.Y. He loved country music and spending time with his friends. He was an altar server for St. Joseph's Catholic Church in younger years, also serving as high school representative for the parish counsel. He played football and baseball for Catoctin High School. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Stephen Seidel of Gettysburg; paternal grandparents, Robert Sr. and Ruth Seidel of Emmitsburg, Md.; maternal grandmother, Arlene Giannini of Thurmont, Md. and his grandfather, the late Donald Giannini; paternal aunts and uncles, Judy and husband Robert Dick of Colorado Springs, Colo., Linda and husband Ken Adelsberger of Gettysburg, Pa, Col. Barbara Gscheidle (retired) of Parrish, Fla., Edward Seidel of Johnson City, Tenn., Richard Seidel of Frederick, Md., Mary and husband Tom Bradford of Suffolk, Va., Teresa and husband Edward Wyatt of Olney, Md., Carol Seipler of Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. and Francis and wife Nicole Seidel of Gettysburg, Pa.; maternal aunts and uncles, Cindy and the late Frank Marshall of Emmitsburg, Md., Linda Giannini and fiance John Curley of Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., Arlene and husband Larry Pittinger of Emmitsburg, Md. and Peter and wife Joyce Giannini of Hanover, Pa. He is also survived by many cousins. He was preceded in death by uncles David and Edward Giannini and Frank Marshall and a cousin, Robert Adelsberger. Friends may call at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 104 E. Main St., Thurmont, Md. on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday May 28, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., where the family will receive friends Sunday, May 28, 2006 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, May 29, at 11 a.m. from the Basilica of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 333 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, Md. Bishop Francis Malooly will preside, with Rev. James Kiernan as celebrant, assisted by Father Vincent O'Malley and Father Stephen Trzecieski. Interment will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Emmitsburg, Md. Contributions may be made to the Rob Seidel Scholarship Fund, Catoctin High School, 14745 Sabillasville Road, Thurmont, MD 21788. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.staufferfuneralhome.com

Md. Soldier Killed in Iraq; Army Was Lifelong Dream
By Fredrick Kunkle and Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, May 20, 2006
He grew up near the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pa., where the Union was saved in 1863, and ever since he was a small boy, Robert A. Seidel III of Emmitsburg wanted to be a soldier. "He wanted to continue carrying that torch of freedom," his father, Robert A. Seidel Jr., said last night. 1st Lt. Robert A. Seidel III, 23, of Emmitsburg died in a bombing, his father said. (AP) On Thursday, 1st Lt. Robert A. Seidel III, a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was killed in Iraq. His father said he was killed in Baghdad by a roadside bomb that exploded near his Humvee. He was 23 years old and a rifle platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y. "Ever since he was growing up," said his grandfather, Robert A. Seidel Sr., 76, of Emmitsburg, "he wanted to be in the Army." The lieutenant and his family were frequent visitors to Gettysburg, about a dozen miles from where they lived during his boyhood. "We went there often," the father said. "And I think he recognized the price paid in casualties during that three-day battle. "He loved his family and believed in God, and he loved his country," his father said. And he, too, "was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice in behalf of his country." Seidel, who liked country music and played football and baseball, graduated from Catoctin High School in Thurmont in 2000 and enrolled in the Class of 2004 at West Point. His family said that as far as they knew, he was the first Emmitsburg resident to graduate from the military academy. The academy researched it, his father said, and it "could not find anybody else." At West Point, relatives said, his major subject was law, and he also did work in environmental engineering. He earned Ranger, Air Assault and Airborne badges and planned to go into the Special Forces and make a career of the Army. He was deployed to Iraq in August. His grandfather, a former mayor of Emmitsburg who saw combat during the Korean War, said he often advised his grandson to choose a military branch other than the infantry, but to no avail. "He was doing what he wanted to do," his grandfather said. In February, he came home for a two-week leave. The last time he spoke with his family was on Mother's Day, relatives said. On Thursday, he was with three soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter when the bomb exploded near their vehicle in the northwestern part of Baghdad, his father said. "He would help you out any way he could," his brother, Stephen, 20, said last night. "He would bend over backwards." For his country, his friends, his family, for those he loved and cared about, his brother said, "he would do anything." The lieutenant was born and raised in Emmitsburg, a Frederick County crossroads town of about 2,400 that lies about two miles south of the Pennsylvania border. About three years ago, his family, including his mother, Sandy, moved to the Gettysburg vicinity. But in Seidel's view, his father said, "Emmitsburg's always been our home." He said his son would be buried there.
Staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.

BALTIMORE SUN
Officer who grew up in Md. is killed in Iraq
Army 1st lieutenant, a graduate of Catoctin High School, was a platoon leader
By Gina Davis
Sun Reporter
Originally published May 20, 2006
Through the glass front door, Sandy Seidel could see the uniformed Army officer who had come to deliver the news, and she thought for a fleeting moment that maybe, if she didn't answer, the man would go away. "But I knew what it was," she said, as the memory of that moment brought back tears yesterday. For the mother of a son serving in Iraq, "it's your nightmare." Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III, 23, of Gettysburg, Pa., was killed while on patrol Thursday afternoon when his Humvee was struck by an explosive device, she and her husband, Robert Seidel Jr., said yesterday. They said the officer who came to their home said three other soldiers from their son's platoon and an Iraqi interpreter also were killed in the attack. "You always know it's a possibility, but you hope it won't happen," Mr. Seidel said of the death of his son, who had last spoken with his parents on Mother's Day. "He said he loved us, and he couldn't let Mother's Day go by without calling," Mrs. Seidel said of the 15-minute call. "He was ready to get back home, but he was upbeat and in good spirits." The 2004 West Point graduate was a rifle platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion in the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y. He was also an Army Ranger, qualified for air assaults. Lieutenant Seidel- who had been in Iraq since August and had last visited his parents in February - was scheduled to return home in July, his mother said. The Seidels said when they saw their son a few months ago, he seemed distracted. He explained that he was happy to see them, but also ready to rejoin the platoon of about 30 soldiers under his command, they recalled. "His mind was over there," Mrs. Seidel said from their Gettysburg home. "He felt great responsibility for them. He said he couldn't feel at home until they all came home." The Seidels said their son decided in the fifth grade that he wanted to attend West Point and make a career of the military. Lately he had talked about joining the Army Special Forces, his father said. "He was in it for the long haul," Mr. Seidel said. Mrs. Seidel said that as a young boy, her son had seen the Civil War miniseries, North and South, and was drawn to the famous generals who were depicted. He attended Civil War re-enactments in Gettysburg and toyed with the idea of becoming a re-enactor one day, his mother said. Lieutenant Seidel grew up in Emmitsburg in Frederick County and graduated in 2000 from Catoctin High School, where he earned mostly A's, his mother said. While there, he played football and baseball. At West Point, he joined the intramural wrestling team and won a medal in his weight class, she said. He loved country music and ratty jeans, his mother said, chuckling, as she pictured her son in the beat-up John Deere hat that he was fond of wearing. More recently he had developed an interest in NASCAR and ventured to Daytona, Fla., one year with friends to watch the races. "He was a great kid," Mrs. Seidel said. "He loved the Lord. He loved his family. He loved his friends. And he loved his platoon. That was the most important thing for him." His father added: "He believed in the mission in Iraq." Stephen Seidel, 20, said he had braced himself for the possibility that his brother could die while serving in the war, but he hadn't imagined how he would feel if that day ever came. "You work yourself up for this, but you don't expect it to happen," he said. "It rips your heart right out of your chest. I'm never going to see him again, and that's the hardest part of this." He said his brother was a true-blue friend with an unfailing sense of humor and a knack for lightening serious moments. "The first minute you met him, he'd have you laughing," the younger brother said. "Way back when we were really young, we'd go up to our grandma's attic and get into my uncle's old military uniforms. We'd go out into the woods and play Army. He loved that."

A native son's sacrifice honored
By Jennifer McMenamin
Sun reporter
Originally published May 30, 2006
EMMITSBURG // With a 21-gun salute and the reading of a poem about war that Army 1st Lt. Robert A. Seidel III had written in the fifth grade, this small town and hundreds of flag-bearing veterans laid to rest a native son yesterday in a funeral service that many said was all the more poignant on Memorial Day. Lieutenant Seidel, 23, who grew up in this Frederick County town of 2,300, had wanted to serve in the military since he was 10 years old. He was killed while on patrol May 18 when his Humvee was struck by an explosive device in an attack that killed three other soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter. A 2004 West Point graduate, he was a rifle platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y., and was an Army Ranger, qualified for air assaults. "Our goal was to welcome our hometown son back, and it's always important to make a statement that we're proud of the contributions of the men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for our American freedoms," said R. Wayne Powell, fire information officer with the Vigilant Hose Company of Emmitsburg. "This is Americana right here," he said, gesturing to the soldiers in dress uniforms and the giant American flag hanging from a rope strung between two firetruck ladders at the entrance to the cemetery where Seidel was buried. "It doesn't get much more simple than that." Friends, relatives and fellow service members who attended the private funeral service at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton said the Mass served as a celebration of family - the soldier's and the military family he had yearned to join. Nancy Progar, Lieutenant Seidel's fifth-grade teacher, read a poem that he had written for her class. "It was about war and serving one's country," said Karen Santos, Lieutenant Seidel's cousin, who traveled from Rehoboth, Mass., for the funeral. "Just to hear it, for a little boy of 10 to write the way he did, it was incredible. He fulfilled his life, even though it was far too short." Lieutenant Seidel's football coach at Catoctin High School read an essay that the former fullback and outside linebacker wrote as part of his congressional application to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. In it, those who attended the funeral said, Lieutenant Seidel acknowledged that serving his country meant putting his life on the line. He also vowed never to ask the troops in his command to do anything that he would not do. "He was a gentleman. You could tell he had the military in him even before he was in the military," said Tom Rippeon, 48, of Lewistown, whose daughter attended her high school prom with Lieutenant Seidel. Also included in the service was a country song by Brad Paisley that friends and family said Lieutenant Seidel sang constantly during his last visit home from Iraq in February. Its chorus goes: "Yeah, when I get where I'm going, there'll be only happy tears. I will shed the sins and struggles I have carried all these years, and I'll leave my heart wide open, I will love and have no fear. Yeah, when I get where I'm going, don't cry for me down here." "Apparently, that song meant a lot to Rob," said Aaron Venables, 22, of Thurmont, who choked up talking about his former football teammate from midget league through high school. "It hit pretty close to home when they played that song." The Memorial Day funeral was attended by more than 200 military veterans and others, many of whom traveled by motorcycle from Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Jim Sandefur III, 61, of Bunker Hill, W.Va., said he has searched for ways to serve his country since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Air Force veteran, whose two brothers-in-law were drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, tried to re-enlist but was told that he was too old for another tour. So he decided to spend Memorial Day this year standing outside Lieutenant Seidel's funeral with a flag to honor the young man's sacrifice. "With these kids," he said, pointing to the basilica where the private funeral Mass was being offered, "there's no draft. Every one of them I've met feels that what they're doing is helping to defend America. I don't ever want one of them to come back to America and not be shown love and respect." Most of the men and women on motorcycles were members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that was organized last fall in response to protests staged by Westboro Baptist Church. Members of the Kansas congregation picket military funerals to draw attention to their belief that God is punishing the United States by allowing men and women to die in Iraq because of the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. Four protesters from the church arrived yesterday in Emmitsburg, but police kept them down the road and across the street from the driveway to the shrine. Richard E. "Ripley" Marcks II, 58, of Allentown, Pa., has attended about 15 military funerals with the Patriot Guard Riders and served as ride captain and organizer for the gathering at the service for Lieutenant Seidel. "We want to show honor for our fallen American heroes. Those are not just words for us. That's true," he said.

Return to Frederick Veterans Page/Back Button to return to Alphabetical Listing
Lycos - Search the Web