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David E Rylander

Stow, Ohio

May 2, 2012

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Army

2nd Lt

7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division

Fort Drum, New York

Killed in Logar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.

From The Akron Beacon Journal ohio.com 05/12/12:

Army 2nd Lt. David Rylander called selfless, humble servant at funeral
By Jim Carney Beacon Journal staff writer
Published: May 12, 2012 - 11:09 PM | Updated: May 14, 2012 - 12:48 PM

While having breakfast with a pastor from his church before he left for Afghanistan, Army 2nd Lt. David E. Rylander gave clear directions for what he wanted to happen if he should die in battle.
“Preach about Jesus,” Rylander told Victory Life Church Young Adult Pastor Matthew Skifstad.
Rylander, 23, was killed in Afghanistan on May 2. At a Saturday memorial service at The Chapel in Akron, several people spoke of the soldier’s faith.
Skifstad said he looked through Rylander’s Bible to prepare for the eulogy and found a handwritten note from Rylander in which he described what Jesus meant to him.
“Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior,” he wrote. “He is the son of God and died for my sin and my shame. Because of him I will live forever in heaven with him and my heavenly Father.”
Before the service, hundreds of people lined Darrow Road and state Route 59 in Stow to watch a procession from the Redmon Funeral Home to Akron.
Tom Shaw, of Kent, stood at attention, holding a flag, as the procession passed.
“I can’t thank you enough,” he said was the message he wanted to convey to the Rylanders.
In front of the funeral home, 13 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts from Troop 273 in Stow saluted as the procession headed south on Darrow Road.
“We are honoring his memory,” said Scoutmaster Stephen Hodges of Stow.
Star Scout Tom Borthwick, 13, said Rylander, who was an Eagle Scout, made the ultimate sacrifice and has become an inspiration for Tom to get his Eagle rank.
Ladder trucks from Stow and Cuyahoga Falls fire departments flew large flags along the route. An electronic message sign at the Stow Munroe Falls Public Library said: “Thank you Lt. Rylander for your ultimate sacrifice.”
Patient with others
During the service, Victory Life Church Pastor Cyndie Rogers said Rylander’s life may have been short in time, but it was “rich in personal character and powerful in courage.”
“David would tell us today, I am with Jesus Christ,” she said. “... David loved and depended on God’s word.”
Stephen Rylander said his brother “had the faith of a giant,” and listed among his strongest attributes respect for people and patience with others.
Rylander, a 2011 West Point graduate, was the son of John and Jackie Rylander. He is also survived by his brother, Daniel, and sister, Sarah.
Daniel Rylander and his uncle, Tom Seibert, co-wrote a song that Daniel performed at the service, called A Friend and a Brother, Be Thou at Peace.
Rylander was killed with another soldier, Spc. Junot M. L. Cochilus, 34, of Charlotte, N.C., in the lead vehicle on a mission on Route Ohio in Afghanistan when the vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
Military support
“David died leading,” said Brigadier General Kenneth R. Dahl, the deputy commanding general for support of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y., where Rylander served with 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division.
He and others described Rylander as thorough in his work and as someone who had earned the respect of his soldiers and noncommissioned officers.
Col. Edward Sobiesk, the officer in charge of the Cadet Chapel Choir and a member of the computer science faculty at West Point, said Rylander was a “selfless, humble servant” and spoke of how he performed a mini-concert on the bells at an overnight retreat at West Point one weekend.
He is the “best example we will ever encounter of God’s amazing grace in the world. We are so blessed. He will always be with us,” Sobiesk said.
At West Point, Rylander rang the bells on campus twice a day from the West Point Chapel, said Army Chaplain Col. Mike Durham.
“The music came down the hill and into the hearts of the entire corps of cadets, all 4,500,” he said.
Friends speak
Friend Jon Anderson described Rylander using these words: humble, kind, loving selfless, caring, polite, giving and a man of God.
He said from reading comments about Rylander on his Facebook page and spoken at the memorial service, it was clear to him that “people saw Christ through David’s kindness.”
Another friend, Bentley Johnson, said Rylander was “a prime example of heart. He had all the key elements, integrity, dignity and respect, and he had love. Lots and lots of love.”
The bond of their friendship was often spoken with just one word between them.
“Dude,” Johnson said. “Dude meant I love you. Dude meant be safe ... It was like we could share our hearts just in one word.”
Pastor Skifstad said Rylander “was a man of honor.”
“David was a rare man because there existed no disconnect between who he was and how he wished to be perceived,” he said. “David Rylander painted his own self-portrait and no one who has spoken today had to touch up his life painting in order to make it more brilliant.”
The service concluded with the West Point Alma Mater, which included this verse:
“And when our work is done, our course on earth is run, may it be said, well done, be thou at peace.”
Second Lt. Rylander was buried at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman with full military honors.
He was the 40th area service member to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan and the second Stow resident killed in action. Marine Cpl. Joseph Tomci, 21, of Stow, was killed in Iraq in 2006.
The Rylander family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the USO, P.O. Box 96322, Washington, D.C. 20090-6322.

From The PLain Dealer cleveland.com 05/08/12:

Stow soldier David Rylander killed in Afghanistan
By Pat Galbincea, The Plain Dealer
on May 08, 2012 at 6:40 PM, updated May 08, 2012 at 11:24 PM

STOW, Ohio -- A 23-year-old soldier from Stow, who was a West Point graduate, was killed along with another soldier in an incident in Afghanistan on May 2, a U.S. Army spokesman said Tuesday.

Second Lt. David E. Rylander, who was an engineer officer, was killed in the Logar Province of Afghanistan from wounds sustained when he was struck by an improvised explosive device used by insurgents who attacked their unit, said Lt. Col. Web Wright.

Rylander and Specialist Junot Mevs Legrand Cochilius, 34, of Charlotte, N.C., were assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y., Wright said.

Wright said no other details about the incident are being released at this time.

Rylander joined the Army in May, 2011 after his graduation from West Point. He arrived at Fort Drum last November and he was deployed with his unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in January, Wright said.

Rylander won numerous decorations and awards including the Purple Heart, the NATO Medal, the National Service Defense Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutists Badge, Wright said.

While at West Point, Rylander completed small arms weapons and airborne courses.

Rylander is survived by his mother and father, Jacqueline and John Rylander of Stow, plus two brothers and a sister, Wright said.

His parents did not return calls Tuesday. Rylander was home schooled, according to a 2007 article in the Akron Beacon Journal.

A statement was issued by Congressman Steven LaTourette's office which read:

"My sympathies go out to 2nd Lt. Rylander, his family, friends, fellow soldiers and the community of Stow. This is a horrible loss, and we all grieve for a brave and wonderful young man who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country. May God bless him and may God bless the United States of America.

Stow Mayor Sara Drew ordered flags at half staff Tuesday after learning of his death.

Calling hours for Rylander will be 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Friday at Redmon Funeral Home, 3633 Darrow Rd., Stow. A service for Rylander will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at the Chapel in Akron off the Hamilton Ave. entrance. Burial will be at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman.

David Edward Rylander
STOW -- 2LT David Edward Rylander, 23, was killed in action in Logar Province, Afghanistan on May 2, 2012. Born on the 14th of October, 1988 in Akron, Ohio, David was a graduate of home school where he excelled academically. Additionally, David was an accomplished pianist, member of the Cuyahoga Falls Tigersharks swim team and an Eagle Scout. He enjoyed attending and serving at the Victory Life Church in Stow, where he was actively involved with their F.M. Ministry group. After completing one year at The University of Akron, David realized his dream of gaining admittance and attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in May 2011 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Engineering Management.

He is survived by his parents, John and Jackie; siblings, Daniel, Sarah and Stephen, all of Stow; grandparents, Margot Bennett of Stow, Ed and May Rylander of Solon; aunts and uncles, Germaine and Tom Siebert, Leslie Rylander and Dennis Bacon and Karen and Richard Davis; cousins, Laura and Paul Siebert, and Cassie and Adrian Bacon.

Friends are invited to Redmon Funeral Home for a visitation to be held on Friday, May 11, 2012 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Pastor Cyndie Rogers will conduct the service for David on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 11 a.m. at The Chapel, 135 Fir Hill in Akron. A FAMILY AND MILITARY PROCESSION ONLY will depart from Redmon Funeral Home at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday. All others, please meet at the church and form the procession to the cemetery. Interment will be at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery with full military honors provided by the United States Army. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in David's memory to the USO, P.O. Box 96322 Washington, DC 20090-6322.