Kenneth Levi Ridgley

Tuesday, April 05 2005 @ 08:25 AM MDT

Olney Dail Mail -- When 30-year-old Sgt. Kenneth "Levi" Ridgley died in Mosul, Iraq on Wednesday, Olney lost more than a soldier.

Ridgley is remembered as a loving son, a good friend, and a man who was dedicated to his service.

Ridgley died from wounds suffered when shooting broke out at a checkpoint as U.S. soldiers prepared to inspect a vehicle, according to the Department of Defense. One of the three insurgents inside a car began firing an automatic weapon and a bullet struck Ridgely between the shields of his bulletproof vest, according to the Associated Press.

Ridgely was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, part of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash.

He joined the National Guard as a senior at East Richland High School and served for six years, which helped him earn his tuition at Southern Illinois University. He joined the Army three years after leaving the Guard.

This was his second tour of duty in Iraq. He volunteered to go as a medic, according to his aunt, Ruth Ridgley.

''After 9/11 he said he regretted that he had not just joined the Army right after high school,'' his mother, Betty Richards, told the AP. Ridgley was her only child.

He was the grandson of Don and Goldia (Fulk) Ridgely.

According to the AP, Ridgley and his wife Charity had been in the process of adopting her 3-year-old son, Dillon. The couple bought a house in Steilacoom, Wash., shortly before he was deployed in October. Charity is a prenursing student at Pacific Lutheran University and a cadet in the school's ROTC program.

James Daniels was friends with Ridgley since high school. Daniels graduated in 1992 and Ridgley in 1993.

"We just had a lot of fun together," Daniels said. "He liked to be outside. He liked his horses."

The two remained friends out of high school and would get together whenever Ridgley was in town after he joined the Army.

The last time they saw each other was on the week of July 4 when they had a big party and went to a ball game. They also emailed each other.

"We got along good," Daniels said. "He was a pretty intelligent guy."

He also liked to clown around.

Daniels remembers a frog-gigging effort at Ridgley's parents' pond a couple of years ago that wasn't too successful.

"He fell out of the boat," Daniels said, laughing. "After we got done, we had all these frogs and we didn't know how to clean them. We had to wake up his dad."

Daniels said Ridgley talked him into going to EMT classes with him. Daniels said Ridgley volunteered at the hospital but never became an EMT. He said he planned to go into nursing when he got out of the Army.

Street Department Supervisor Tom Totten knew Ridgley from when he worked for the city, but he and his family also became close friends with Ridgley through their love of horses.

"He wanted to learn how to ride horses. My son and I both taught him," Totten said. "He wanted to be a cowboy."

Totten, who operates Totten Ranch, said Ridgley was a fast learner, and it was made easier because he wanted to learn.

The eagerness paid off when Ridgley won first prize and a saddle in the roping competition in the Dan Totten Memorial Tournament.

"Levi turned out to be quite a good horseman," Totten said.

Ridgely was a roper on the SIU rodeo team and left college to become a blacksmith, according to the AP. He also worked in Colorado as a horse-shoer and wrangler.

Totten remembers Ridgley as a friendly man who never spoke badly of anyone and was always willing to help.

"My whole family enjoyed his company," Totten said. "He was like a member of the family when he'd come out."

Totten said Ridgley was dedicated to his service in Iraq.

"I said 'Levi, get out of that place,'" Totten said after Ridgley decided to go back for a second tour.

"I need to go back," Totten remembered Ridgley telling him. "It's just something I need to do."

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