Tuesday, April 16, 2013

R.I.P. - CWO. Matthew P. Ruffner, CWO. Jarett M. Yoder

DOD Identifies Army Casualties
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died April 9, in Pachir Wa Agam District, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.  They were assigned to the1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.

            Killed were:

            Chief Warrant Officer Matthew P. Ruffner, 34, of Tafford, Pa., and

            Chief Warrant Officer Jarett M. Yoder, 26, of Mohnton, Pa.

            For more information the media may contact the Pennsylvania National Guard public affairs office at 717-861-8352/8468 during duty hours or 717-943-4092 after hours.

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The Pennsylvania Army National Guard on Wednesday identified Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Ruffner, 34, of Harrisburg, PA and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jarett Yoder, 26, of Mohnton, PA as two Guardsmen killed when their AH-64 Apache Helicopter crashed during a reconnaissance mission on 9 April 2013.

Ruffner was a 1997 graduate of London High School in Ohio and later graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Decorated with the Army Achievement Medal, three Army Reserve Component Achievement Medals and the Parachutist Badge, he originally joined the military in 1997 as a mechanic Ohio. He later transferred to Indiana, Pa. where he completed warrant officer training.

Before deploying, he was a full-time Apache instructor pilot for the Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility at Fort Indiantown Gap. He was piloting the helicopter when it crashed. This was his first deployment.

He is survived by his parents.

Yoder was a 2005 graduate of Oley Valley High School in Oley, Pa. and attended Reading Community College. He joined the military the same year and has since been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and Driver and Mechanic Badge.

He first served in Company C, 1st Battalion 111th Infantry as an infantryman. He was deployed Iraq in 2008 and entered the aviation field in 2010. He was as an aviation life support equipment officer and Apache pilot. He was the copilot of the helicopter when it crashed.

He is survived by his wife and parents.
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