Army Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, a Metro State graduate who was among the first Coloradans to be killed in the Iraqi war a year ago, is being honored by the Armed Forces Insurance (AFI).

The AFI, an insurance company for members of the military, has created the Captain Russell B. Rippetoe Trophy to be given annually at the Best Ranger Competition held each spring at Fort Benning, Ga. A dedication ceremony is planned for Friday at the base.

"It is a great privilege to dedicate the winner's trophy to the memory of Captain Russell Rippetoe," said AFI President Thomas Dials, retired Army colonel. "He represents the best of America's military and exhibited the qualities of dedication, fitness and professionalism that are hallmarks of American Rangers."

The dedication will include the placing of a dedication plaque on the Road March Trophy and presenting a replica copy of the trophy to the Rippetoe family.

Rippetoe, an Arvada resident, was 27 when he was killed April 3, 2003, in a suicide bombing at an Iraqi checkpoint.

Rippetoe was the highest ranking officer of the 75th Ranger Regiment to be killed in combat since the unit was formed in 1983 and the first Iraqi War combat casualty to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for Valor with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.

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