Press Release
October 31, 2001
My beloved nephew, Kristofor Tif Stonesifer, was killed October 19, 2001, in the helicopter crash in Pakistan along with fellow Ranger, Jonn Edmunds. Kris was 28 years old (born August 20, 1973), had been a philosophy major in college, a Vegan, a tree-hugger, a wilderness tracker who had successfully stalked a deer in the woods—he crept up on it, blending in with the harmonies of nature, petted it, and withdrew. We were glad it was not a bear! I like to think that Kris enlisted and joined the Rangers to use his tracking skills to do something meaningful to help his country. He died to preserve freedom in the country and in the world. I am grieving for my Kris, whose part in my life and in that of my son Rick, a year younger than his cousin, was close, intellectual, caring, fun, and full of love. No matter how he died, I would be devastated, but because he was one of our first two causalities in this strange new war, he belongs to all of us. I’d like my Oxford community to realize how close this war is and to tell them to position themselves thoughtfully about our danger and about what is most effective as a response.
My students have been wonderful and the thought of returning to them after Kris’s funeral October 26 sustained me. The opportunity to teach is a great privilege and a great responsibility.
I am very aware of my own personal need for support and understanding right now while I am so raw and of not using Kris’s death as a platform for my own views. However, I seek an alternative to war, not only because it produces grievous losses, but because it does not seem effective in resolving the issues. This great country is under siege now and we must work harder to redress the mistakes we have made at home and abroad. Our strengths are many and we must push ourselves forward to share more with others less fortunate. Freedom and justice for all. And a full tummy!
Kris’s mother, Ruth Stonesifer, a talented artist living in Kintnersville, PA, asks that contributions be sent in Kris’s name to the White House Fund for Afghani Children. My brother, Ric Stonesifer, Kris’s father, himself a retired Navy captain, is talking with Jonn Edmunds’ parents about a college scholarship fund.
I have nothing but praise for the military men and Rangers who helped my family in our time of loss, a time which extends in infinite sorrow. But there is some comfort in having the support of some dedicated individuals whom I met in the awful week of October 20-26. My thanks to Sergeant Major Henton, Sergeant First Class Pacheco, Chaplain Kirby, Rangers Hanlon and Mosher and all the others, all my new family now deployed in Pakistan and Afghanistan. My love to my family, to my nephew Frederic Wesley Stonesifer, serving in the Army too, his wife Dana, and their three children Dereck, Camrin and young Kristofor Scott Stonesifer, born October 14, Children’s Day, 2001. He was named to honor his uncle Kris, and may he and all our children have the freedom to grow up safely and in peace.
Linnea Stonesifer Dietrich