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Ryan J. Connolly - U. S. Army - Afghanistan | |
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27 Jun 2008: The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (06-25) 22:52 PDT Santa Rosa, CA (AP) -- Ryan James Connolly, a 24-year-old Army medic who grew up in Santa Rosa, was killed by a plastic land mine in a remote area of Afghanistan, family members said Wednesday. Connolly, who was promoted recently to the rank of sergeant, served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade based outside the town of Khogyani in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border. He was riding in a vehicle with four other troops when the mine exploded Tuesday afternoon (Afghanistan time). One other soldier was killed and three were wounded, said his stepfather, Robert Nelson of Vacaville. The combat medic had just two weeks left on his one-year deployment to Afghanistan, with orders to report to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey. Improvised explosive devices, including plastic mines that are virtually undetectable, have become a constant source of bloodshed in Afghanistan. According to the Associated Press, nearly 2,000 people have died in insurgency-related violence this year in Afghanistan - many of them killed by mines and bombs detonated next to convoys. "He was a really strong young man - strong physically, mentally and morally, heart and soul - and a loving father," Nelson said. He said Connolly's wife, Stephi, lives in Bamberg, Germany, with their 1-year-daughter, Kayla. Connolly graduated from Piner High School in Santa Rosa, and joined the Army in 2005. He had survived multiple firefights in Afghanistan. Just a few days ago, he phoned his father, mortgage broker Jim Connolly of Santa Rosa, and described being ambushed. His unit was pinned down in a firefight for hours after they walked into a village. Connolly had taken a leave in April, bringing his family to Santa Rosa. During that trip, he bought a 1970 Chevy Nova and began to restore it. He had a passion for baseball, classic muscle cars, NASCAR racing and all things mechanical. "He was in good spirits then," Nelson said, "and looking forward to finishing the last three months and coming back home." Soon after Connolly returned to Afghanistan, Nelson said, a 10-year-old boy with a bomb blew himself up in a crowded square. Connolly was among the first medics on the scene - rescuing about 20 Afghans. Nelson said his stepson had grown weary of the abject poverty and violence in Afghanistan, which Connolly described as "11th century with cars and cell phones. He hated the way women and children were treated there as chattel. He was a good man." The medic apparently never tired of practicing his trade. "He loved helping out in Afghanistan, sewing up the kids," Nelson said. "It broke his heart when he didn't have enough medicine for a whole village." Connolly's mother, Robin Nelson, lives in Vacaville. His brother, Mike Connolly, lives in Santa Rosa, and his sister, Kelly Connolly, lives in San Francisco. "He was the best brother anyone could have," Kelly Connolly said. "Very protective, always looking out for my best interest. He was a great husband and father. He loved his daughter." 21 Sep 2007 | |
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Note that some of the units do not have ranks shown on their addresses.
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DO NOT expect, or require, a reply from a soldier. (NOTE *): Effective 1 May 2006 this web site added a major layer of security to our contacts' information. This change is necessary to protect our troops and ensure that Any Soldier will continue to operate. The ONLY changes are that the addresses of our contacts are now hidden and the number of addresses you can get are limited. You may obtain addresses simply by clicking on the link provided and correctly filling out the form, the address will then be emailed to you immediately. (NOTE **): The number shown is how many times a form was submitted requesting this address. This does NOT necessarily mean that this contact will be helped by that many folks. Rule of thumb is that anything 5 requests or less may in fact be no support at all. No way to tell exactly unless the contact lets you know in his/her update how much support they are getting. (Note 1.): Note that postage to APO AE and FPO AE (E = Europe) is only to NY where the connection to the APO/FPO (APO = Army Post Office)(FPO = Fleet Post Office) is, or to San Francisco for APO AP and FPO AP (P = Pacific), so you don't pay postage all the way to Iraq/Afghanistan. You might consider picking contacts closer to your mailing area to help cut the cost of mailing. If you live on the East Coast, pick "AE", West Coast, pick "AP", Midwest, well...uh, Thank You for your Support! ;) New with us (December 2005) you might notice "APO AA" and "FPO AA". This is for units in the Caribbean/South America. Normally. However, due to the nature of some units they may be in Iraq but have an address showing "FPO AA". Mail addresses to "AA" goes out of Miami, Florida. (Note 2.): Why are military addresses weird? There isn't a street address or city. What gives? Correct, just about everything about the military is weird to civilians. Military units are very mobile, during war they move around a lot, often they become part of even another unit. The APO (Army Post Office) and FPO (Fleet Post Office) assign APO and FPO numbers as needed, they are NOT static. An APO number may be for a large unit, or a location. An APO number for Baghdad today may be for Frankfurt tomorrow. (Note 3.): The "Expected to leave" date is only an approximate and is one of the least reliable things on this web site. It is because of this that you must check often before you send anything to this unit. There are a few reasons this date is not reliable, to include: it IS a war, it IS the military, we ARE dealing with the APO. The only thing that does not change in the military is that things will change. PLEASE NOTE that a soldier will be dropped off our active list 30 days PRIOR to their end date to avoid mail bouncing. (Note 4.): (Removed for OPSEC reasons)
(Note 5.): The lines, "Contact with approx number of soldiers:" and "Approx how may female soldiers:" have NOTHING to do with unit strength. They are approximately how many other soldiers the contacts believe they can get packages to. This helps you understand that you should not send 100 packages to someone who only deals with 10 soldiers. (Note 6.): This is simply where the unit this contact is from. This is NOT a true picture of the folks in the unit as most all units are made up of folks from all over the United States.) A "Composite Unit" is one made up of other units and is usually temporary for a particular mission. (Note 7.): Updated APO/FPO mailing restrictions courtesy of Oconus.com (Note: About Restriction "U2": "U2 - Limited to First Class Letters", Box "R" is for retired personnel that live overseas and are still authorized an APO/FPO box. Their address will be something like Box 3345R. Doubt you will see anything like that in Afghanistan or Iraq or ...) |
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