Army Rangers remember fallen comrades killed in Afghanistan

SAVANNAH - The squad leader&#39;s voice echoed beneath the cathedral arches as he called the names of the three Army Rangers whose helmets, rifles and combat boots stood like makeshift crosses at the altar. <br> <br> He called their names three times apiece -- Sargeant Bradley S. Crose, Specialist Marc A. Anderson and Corporel Matthew A. Commons. The only answer was silence, followed by a salute of gunfire from outside. <br> <br> Soldiers of the First Ranger Battalion, who returned from Afghanistan less than two weeks ago, joined the families of their fallen comrades today for a memorial service honoring the three Rangers killed in the bloodiest fighting of America&#39;s war on terror. <br> <br> Crose, Anderson and Commons were among six soldiers killed in action March fourth while trying to save a Navy SEAL who was also killed after falling from a helicopter amid the enemy on a snowy Afghan mountain top. <br> <br> The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tony Thomas, said ``As in Somalia, some have and will continue to question why seven men died in an effort to rescue one. Those critics will never fully comprehend the commitment our Rangers have for one another and their fellow Americans.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> More than 600 Rangers in dress uniform, along with the parents, siblings and grandparents of Crose, Anderson and Commons, filled the pews of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. <br> <br> The three soldiers -- among 200 Rangers from the 1st Battalion deployed to Afghanistan -- were stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. Funerals were held in March, but a memorial was delayed until their comrades returned home.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/195856