SFC Ronald A. Grider

18 September 2010, Afghanistan

USASOC

A native of Alton, Illinois, Sergeant First Class Ronald A. Grider died 18 September 2010, of wounds sustained while his unit was conducting combat operations in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

Grider enlisted in the Army as an Infantryman in August 1998. After completing his Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

SFC Grider graduated from the Army Ranger Course in 2000 and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. In November 2005, he was selected as a Special Operations Team member and assigned to United States Army Special Operations Command where he served until his death.