Published January 13, 2015
Friends and relatives gathered Saturday at a gymnasium decked with flags, wreaths and flowers to honor one of the two Army Rangers killed in a helicopter crash in Pakistan.
Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds, 20, died Oct. 19 in the crash that occurred during support for a special forces raid in Afghanistan.
``It's really sad what happened, but he was doing what he wanted to do,'' said Amanda Schroeder, a friend of Edmunds' since seventh grade, as tears welled in her eyes.
Uniforms from several branches of the armed forces colored the crowd of about 400.
Staff Sgt. William Bader, Edmunds' former squad leader, said he remembered riding with Edmunds in a helicopter to a live-fire exercise. On the ride back, all of Edmunds' comrades looked tired and relieved.
Edmunds, however, ``still had that intense look on his face,'' Bader said. ``This is how I choose to remember Jonn.''
The Rev. Janet Forbes, of the First United Methodist Church in Cheyenne, said Edmunds left a written message for his wife of two years, Anne, before he left for Operation Enduring Freedom.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/funeral-held-for-army-ranger