Metro State Grad Killed In War

A Metro State graduate was one of three U.S. soldiers killed last week in a suicide bombing at an Iraqi checkpoint. Army Ranger Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, an Arvada resident, was 27.

Rippetoe graduated from Metro in August 1999, with a degree in criminology, with an emphasis in law enforcement and public safety. While attending Metro, Rippetoe joined ROTC at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Rippetoe was a "serious student who participated fully," recalled Joseph Sandoval, chairman of the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department. "He was liked by his classmates and had positive interactions with folks from diverse backgrounds. In many respects he is the epitome of what students at Metropolitan State College embody: a desire to excel in the world through industrious, diligence and honesty in every endeavor of life."

"Although this tragedy resulted in the taking of such a young life, it should make all of us at the college understand that this conflict is more than an abstraction," Sandoval continued. "It is quite easy for us to read newspapers, watch television, use the Internet or use other media to learn about the Iraqi matter, but when an event occurs that brings that matter full force to our attention, that matter becomes personal and tends to alter our perspective."

Contributions can be sent to the following address: 75th Ranger Regiment Association, Attn: Capt. Rippetoe Fund, P.O. Box 921, Heflin, AL 36264.