When you see Santa at the mall this season, remember Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn

[Are_grits_groceries]

Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn, 35, of Upton, Wyo. and of the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. The Department of Defense says that he "died Nov.16 in Tal Afar, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over," and that the circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation.

In December 2005, during his second tour in Iraq, he called his parents after noticing some of the servicemen he worked with weren't receiving Christmas presents or mail from back home.

"He asked his dad and I to take money out of his savings account and buy gifts," JoAnn Zorn (his mother) said. "He didn't want them to know it was coming from him -- he wanted us to put our names on it. And that way, they would have a gift to open on Christmas."

When Ryan's parents mentioned his request to friends, six families volunteered to each "adopt" a serviceman in his unit, and shipped over care packages with movies, candy, baby wipes, clothes, baked goods and Christmas hats.

"They kept sending all these boxes over to Iraq, and (Ryan's) commander finally said, ‘You got to get to opening some of these, Ryan.' Because he didn't have any room to hardly crawl into his bed," JoAnn Zorn said.

"And then that's when Ryan said, ‘They're not for me. These kids have been adopted out, and it's all for the soldiers over there.'"

A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn, of Upton, Wyo., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., November 17.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at Wright Baptist Church in Wright, Wyoming. The Patriot Guard will honor him on Tuesday and escort his casket to the Black Hills National Cemetery.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/22/211217/49

:patriot:

[ejpoeta]

1. wow! just wow.

[mrbarber]

2. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. I'll think of him this Xmas. nt