In Honor of Spc Jonn J. Edmunds

God puts people on earth to fulfill his works; a few are chosen to give everything to save the many. Spc Jonn J. Edmunds, of Cheyenne, Wy, was one of these special people. Edmunds was born Jan. 3, 1981. He graduated from East High School in Cheyenne in 1991. Edmunds knew that he was called to serve his country. While in high school he told the school newspaper of his future plans, "I will be contributing to myself as well as the defense of this country and the betterment of the world." He did just that by enlisting and becoming an Army Ranger.

He was a driven man, who expected nothing but the best from himself and those around him. Mike Belomyzy, Edmunds high school PE teacher said, "He was an intense individual. When he competed, it was just fierce. He didn't accept failure by himself or anyone else." Getting an education was very important to Edmunds. He had plans of getting the GI Bill that the military offers to pay for college. Although he had dreams of going to college, his former teacher said, "He fit the mold of someone in Special Forces. He pressed hard. When he got in the heat of things, he held his own."

Edmunds enlisted in the Army in July of 1999 and five months later his dreams of being a Ranger became reality. He became a member of Company B, 3rd Battalion, 75th Rangers of Ft. Benning, Ga. In 2000, while stationed in Georgia, he married his wife, Anne. Less than a year later he was sent to Afghanistan in support of the War on Terrorism.

On Oct. 19, 2001, at age 20, SPC Edmunds was killed in action, when the UH-60 Black Hawk he was on crashed. He is survived by his wife, Anne; his parents, Donn and Mary; his brother, Seth; his sister, Alyssa; and his grandfather Joseph Edmunds Sr. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Henry and Vera Harms and Maxine Edmunds.

SPC Edmunds sacrificed everything to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. I am forever grateful to him and his family for these freedoms. I will always remember, and be thankful for, the sacrifices SPC Edmunds and his family made for my family and me.

To help remember the fallen troops, click on the icon of the boots located on the sidebar at the right. God Bless America and all who serve to protect it, both at home and overseas. (Thank you Emily for providing the information to the wonderful website that is dedicated to remembering these wonderful men and women.)