Army Sgt. Robert T. Rapp, 22, of Sonora, Calif.
Sgt. Rapp was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.;
killed March 3, 2008 in the Sabari District of Afghanistan of wounds
sustained during combat operations. Also killed was Spc. Steven R. Koch.
A decorated Army paratrooper, who was an avid outdoorsman and a talented
athlete growing up in the California Gold Country town Sonora, was killed
Monday while on duty in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Robert T. Rapp, 22, was an infantryman leader assigned to a combat unit
in Sabari, Afghanistan. A statement released today by the Army said that
Rapp died of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated
near the Sabari District Center.
It was Rapp's second deployment in the Middle East after joining the Army
upon his 2004 high school graduation.
Jennifer Rapp, Rapp's mother, said her son was a patriot and a committed
soldier. She also said that his view of his role in the military had evolved
since his first tour of duty.
"He went to Iraq as a very young man (in 2005) ... he lost his roommate and
best friend," said Jennifer Rapp. "He went to Afghanistan as a sergeant and
he said his biggest responsibility was to bring his men home alive."
Jennifer Rapp said that her son always had an interest in the military. She
said he played with G.I. Joe toys when he was a very young boy. He also
showed an early interest and talent in sports, joining an area ski team at
age 6 and becoming an accomplished wrestler, golfer, cross-country runner
and dove hunter.
After basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. in 2004, he served in Iraq near
the border of Syria, Jennifer Rapp said.
In recognition of his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Rapp was awarded the
Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal and several other
honors.
"Bobby had a heart of gold and was one of the most generous and kind people
that you could ever know," Jennifer Rapp said. "He said there was no greater
honor than to serve his country."
Jennifer Rapp said that Robert had one year left of his commitment to the
military and that he was originally scheduled to come home in January, but
that his unit's tour was extended to mid-April.
"He wanted to serve our country and protect our country," Jennifer Rapp
said. "He loved this country."
Army Sgt. Robert T. Rapp was killed in action on 3/03/08. |
Army Sgt. Robert T. Rapp, 22, Sonora
Paratrooper killed in attack by suicide bomber in Afghanistan
SENSE OF MISSION “This is the most important thing I’ve done in my life,” Robert T. Rapp said of his military service. “I have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I would.”
By Eric Bailey Times Staff Writer
Not too long ago , 22-year-old Bobby Rapp took pen to binder paper in a faraway land, writing what amounted to a last will and testament. He expressed love of family back home in Sonora, Calif., and a firm commitment to his young life’s task — the war on terror. For his funeral, he had a simple request: that “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin be played.
Army Sgt. Robert T. Rapp was one of two paratroopers killed March 3 by a suicide bomber in Sabari, Afghanistan, southeast of Kabul. A car rigged with explosives drove into the gates of an Afghan government building that the soldiers were guarding.
Rapp was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
“Let the world know I died doing what I love,” he wrote to his family in that prophetic letter. “Dying for my country is the greatest honor I could ever receive.”
Rapp was killed less than a month before his 15-month deployment was
scheduled to end.
He had planned to enter college and major in kinesiology. He wanted to become a physical therapist, get married and raise a family.
But those plans for the future came second to Rapp’s devotion to his nation. When he was 18, he left high school six months early to enlist out of what friends and family called a deep-rooted sense of patriotism and duty burning in him after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
He served stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, and experienced the loss of four close friends. In an interview in August with his hometown newspaper, the Union Democrat, Rapp expressed the firm belief that America was gaining ground in Afghanistan.
He talked of terrorist pockets cleaned up by U.S. forces and of winning the “humanitarian war.” Schools were being reopened, he said. A sense of renewal was being reestablished in a war-torn land.
“This is the most important thing I’ve done in my life,” he said. “I have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I would.” And America, he said, is safer for it. “Anyone that’s wanted to take a shot at Americans has to do it here in Afghanistan,” he told the newspaper. “They can’t come to America and fly planes into our buildings — not after 9/11.”
His executive officer in Afghanistan, Capt. Drew Schaffer, said in an online posting that Rapp had “a heart of solid gold.” After making sergeant at a young age, Rapp proved to be a “fantastic” mentor and leader, on duty for all his soldiers all the time, Schaffer said. His “dedication and positive attitude was contagious.”
“You obviously did an amazing job raising such an incredible and unforgettable person,” Schaffer told Rapp’s parents. “He is a hero.”
Becca Padgett, a friend, wrote in a letter posted on a memorial website that Rapp had a “magical smile,” an ability to bring out the best in everyone he knew. “I love you 4everBobbo,” she wrote.
He is survived by his parents, Jennifer and Ted, and older brother Pat. Rapp grew up amid the charms of Sonora, a historic gold rush town of 4,700 sitting on the western edge of the Sierra Nevada. The town turned out in force to support his family and mourn the young soldier’s death. A memorial of flowers grew downtown. At a church service March 14, Rapp was remembered as a friend of many, a youth who liked all sorts of sports and early on demonstrated a mischievous streak.
Before the funeral, his mother recalled a prank that landed Rapp in a heap of teenage trouble. As a high school freshman, she said in an interview with the Modesto Bee, he ground up Ex-Lax and put it in a friend’s sandwich. The practical joke got Rapp suspended.
But, mostly, he excelled at Sonora High School, particularly at sports, wrestling and running cross-country. An accomplished outdoors- man, he joined the Dodge Ridge ski area’s race team as a
kindergartner. He also enjoyed hunting and golf.
Despite chilly weather on the day of his funeral, hundreds of residents lined the main street as
a procession led the hearse carrying the flag- draped coffin. Students from Sonora Elementary School took time from class to pay their respects, holding small American flags, their hands over their hearts.
Before the full military burial, complete with a 21-gun salute, about 800 people attended the funeral at Sierra Bible Church. Inside, a dirge echoed in the rafters. A lone musician on acoustic guitar played “Stairway to Heaven.”
[The Los Angeles Times,, Los Angeles, CA, 23 Mar 2008, Sun . Page 16] |
Grave marker for Sgt Robert T.
Rapp in the Dambacher Mountain Memorial Cemetery, Sonora, California.
The initials of "OIF" and
"OEF" on the his military marker stand for Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom signifying that Sgt Rapp served in both Iraq and
Afghanistan.
(Photos courtesy Margaret Toner Rummens) |
