Another Frederick County resident is among the fallen troops in the nation’s war on terror with the death of a U.S. soldier from Woodsboro.
Army Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., 30, died Sunday in the Kunar province of Afghanistan when his unit was attacked by insurgents with an improvised explosive device. Another soldier, Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz, 24, of New Cuyama, Calif., also died in the attack.
Wildrick is the 21st service member in the 6th Congressional District, in and around Frederick County, to die in Iraq or Afghanistan since the 9/11 terror attacks a decade ago.
Wildrick’s body remained at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday awaiting transport to Frederick County.
Funeral arrangements were pending Friday night at Hartzler Funeral Home in Woodsboro. The scheduling of funeral services will depend on when the Army releases Wildrick’s body, which family members said could be over the next few days.
Wildrick will be buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Wildrick, who grew up in Newton, N.J., came to Woodsboro to live with sister Christie Berkey a few years ago.
Berkey said Friday from her home that her brother was dedicated to serving the nation as part of the armed forces. She said he was particularly proud of the two years he spent in the Army’s elite Continental Color Guard, which is the official escort of the president and participates in military ceremonies across the nation.
“He didn’t want to leave,” Berkey said. “It is such an honor.”
After leaving the unit, which has a time limit on service, Wildrick re-enlisted in the infantry. He deployed to Afghanistan in September after a short stay in Hawaii.
Ian McDonald, Wildrick’s stepfather, frequently corresponded electronically with Wildrick from his home in Australia. Wildrick said his unit helped train Afghan soldiers and police to fight insurgents.
Wildrick told family members of the challenges he faced as part of his duties. He watched a wounded comrade die in his arms, and he was badly shaken by an IED attack on his unit just a week before his death.
“He couldn’t sleep longer than three or four hours because the insurgents would be firing at them again and again,” McDonald said.
Berkey said her brother never expressed regrets and believed deeply in what he was doing. She said he never saw his duty as anything heroic.
“He said it isn’t something you enjoy being a part of because you’re watching them struggle so much trying to learn how to take care of themselves, but he felt proud to be able to do it,” Berkey said.
“He said ‘this is something I need to do.’ It made me so proud.”
Berkey said her brother will be remembered for his sense of humor and dedication to his friends and family, including daughters Leah, 3, and Kaylee, 5, as well as her children. She said one of the hardest things for Wildrick was spending holidays away from loved ones.
“He’d give you the shirt off his back, anything you needed,” she said. “You could call him, and in a heartbeat he’d be there for you.”
Many close family members knew Wildrick as “Uncle Ronnie.” They said he had an infectious personality that immediately drew others to him and made him friends wherever he went. In one instance, they said a quick trip from a hotel room to find a corkscrew ended up taking an hour and resulted in Wildrick being invited to the wedding of a complete stranger and out to dinner with another.
“It wasn’t the sort of a case where he needed to make friends,” McDonald said. “It was kind of like other people found him to be such an interesting character that they became friends with him.”
