Army Sgt. William P. Rudd

Died October 5, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27, of Madisonville, Ky.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Oct. 5 of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire while on a combat patrol in Mosul, Iraq.

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Ky. Army Ranger dies in Iraq

The Associated Press

MADISONVILLE, Ky. — The father of a western Kentucky soldier killed in Iraq says the Madisonville community is “filling me up with love and prayers” since learning of his 27-year-old son’s death.

Sgt. William P. Rudd died Sunday after being hit by enemy small-arms fire while on combat patrol in Mosul, according to the Defense Department.

Rudd was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga.

“The community is filling me up with love and prayers,” the soldier’s father, Bill Rudd of Madisonville, told The Messenger newspaper of Madisonville. “They support what Patrick did for our cause, so we wouldn’t have terrorists back over here.”

Patrick Rudd is believed to be the first Hopkins County native killed in Iraq.

He graduated from Madisonville-North Hopkins High School in 1999, then went to work on the assembly line at White Hydraulics in Hopkinsville.

Patrick Rudd had previously been deployed twice to Afghanistan and five times to Iraq. He joined the Army on Oct. 2, 2003.

“He had spent two years thinking about it, knowing that he needed a different direction in his life and wanting to defend our country.”

Patrick Rudd served with the Army Rangers, which are elite special operations troops.

“He didn’t join for himself,” Bill Rudd said. “You might say he joined for everyone else over here.”

Patrick Rudd was a decorated soldier, receiving the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and many awards.

He is expected to posthumously receive the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Bill Rudd last saw his son four months ago when he visited Fort Benning, Ga., where Patrick was stationed.

Other survivors include Patrick Rudd’s mother, Pamela Coakley of Nortonville; his stepmother, Barbara Rudd of Madisonville; and a sister and brother.

The family is waiting to hear when the body will be returned to the United States before making funeral arrangements.

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Western Ky. soldier laid to rest, slain in Iraq

The Associated Press

MADISONVILLE, Ky. — The father of a western Ky. Army Ranger recently slain in Iraq said Wednesday that his son was slain during the attack that killed an alleged high-ranking leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

The Messenger of Madisonville reported thousands stood by the roadside as more than a hundred cars followed the hearse carrying Sgt. William Patrick Rudd’s body the six miles to the cemetery. The 27-year-old soldier is the first from Hopkins County to die in the Iraq war.

Rudd’s father, Bill Rudd, stood at his son’s casket at First Baptist Church at the beginning of his funeral and told the congregation his son died in the same raid in which U.S. soldiers killed Abu Qaswarah, the alleged No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

The U.S. military announced Abu Qaswarah’s death Wednesday, saying he died Oct. 5 during a raid on a building in Mosul and that news of his death was withheld to allow for positive identification.

The military said Rudd died the same day of wounds suffered from enemy small-arms fire while on a combat patrol in Mosul. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. Rudd served with the Army Rangers, which are elite special operations troops.

He graduated from Madisonville-North Hopkins High School in 1999, then went to work on the assembly line at White Hydraulics in Hopkinsville.

Rudd had previously been deployed twice to Afghanistan and five times to Iraq. He joined the Army on Oct. 2, 2003.

Members of Rudd’s unit shared memories of their friend during the funeral. A Bible verse was repeated often: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

“I didn’t understand the meaning of John 15:13 until Oct. 5,” Sgt. Mark Williams said. “The night he died, he was with his brothers, his friends.”

On Tuesday, three of Rudd’s comrades — Cpl. Kyle Lillard, Staff Sgt. Brett Krueger and Sgt. Dusty Harrell — shared memories of their friend, whom they called “Ricky.”

Lillard, 25, of Gallatin, Tenn., served with Rudd for three years.

“Outside of work, we’d hang out a lot,” he said. “He came from a place like mine, with the same kind of people.” The friends shared a love of country music and “outdoor stuff,” like fishing and hunting.

“We had pretty much everything in common,” said Krueger, 25, of Grand Junction, Colo. “He was a good-hearted person who loved life. You could never catch him on a bad day.”

Herrell, 29, of Monetta, Ark., recalled Rudd’s fear of snakes with a smile. He and Rudd did a lot of camping and canoeing together. On one occasion, they were on a fishing trip in Georgia when Harrell reeled in a water moccasin on his line.

“I turned around ... Ricky was already up the hill,” Harrell said, laughing. “I convinced him to take the pole. The snake was still on it. I dispatched the snake with a big rock to get it off the hook.”

Besides his father, Rudd is survived by his mother, Pamela Coakley of Nortonville; his stepmother, Barbara Rudd of Madisonville; and a sister and brother.

Hopkins County Sheriff Frankie Latham, whose department helped organize security detail for the funeral procession, told The Messenger that members of Rudd’s unit told him they had seen a negative reaction at another soldier’s funeral recently and asked him what to expect from the community.

“I said it would be just the opposite,” Latham said. “This community supports men and women in the military, but this surprised even me.”

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Fallen Ranger known for ‘excellence’

The Associated Press

Sgt. Dusty Herrell recalled William P. Rudd’s fear of snakes with a smile. On one occasion, they were on a fishing trip in Georgia when Herrell reeled in a water moccasin on his line.

By the time Herrell turned around, “Ricky was already up the hill,” Herrell said, laughing. “I convinced him to take the pole.

The snake was still on it.”

Rudd, 27, of Madisonville, Ky., died Oct. 5 of wounds from small-arms fire in Mosul. He was a 1999 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Benning.

After school, he went to work on an assembly line at White Hydraulics and joined the Army in 2003. “He had spent two years thinking about it, knowing that he needed a different direction in his life and wanting to defend our country,” said his father, Bill Rudd.

He had done five deployments to Iraq and two to Afghanistan.

“Anything he did, he did with excellence,” said Sgt. Mark Williams, a fellow Ranger.

He also is survived by his mother, Pamela Coakley and his stepmother, Barbara Rudd.

“He was the best friend anyone could have asked for,” Herrell said. “And he didn’t have to be talking to you to cheer you up.”