Angie Penn
Kristofor was an amazing person. He and I only knew each other for a short time, but in that time he touched my mind and heart. I had never met anyone with as much passion as he had for everyday things. I still remember him lighting up when he talked of the times he spent with Luke in the wilderness. He loved being out there with him. Kristofor would tell all of these great stories about their adventures and soon it was like he was right back there.
Kristofor, as I always called him, was one of the kindest people I have ever met. I never saw anger or fear from him… only understanding. He and I would sit for hours discussing everything. Usually we didn’t agree, but we never got angry. I learned so much from his strength and his silence. I am still learning. Kristofor was an amazing person. He has taught me so much and touched my life in a way that I never imagined. The strength of his character made you question his age. He was wise beyond his years. He always surprised me with his ideas and the passion behind them.
I miss his laugh or the way that he would look at me when I said something that made him think. He wore his heart on his sleeve, but you had to know where to look.
Kris would say, "No yesterday, no tomorrow, just today."
When he would return to Ft Benning he would, " I have to go protect that freedom you enjoy so much." Just before departing.
As for the music that Kristofor used to listen to...whenever we were in the car I took control of the radio...he hated that!!! I'd always put in some sappy love song...he'd just roll his eyes and giggle. One afternoon I let him pick a CD...after my approval of course... he picked his Cranberries CD. It was a sweet ride...he was just lost in thought, as was I, and then I looked over and caught him just staring at me...he had a look that just made me melt...and he knew it. Needless to say...I'm a Cranberries fan now!!!
On a trip to Panama City with his Ranger buddies, he was quite intoxicated. Kris recounted wanting to swim to the buoy light in the ocean. As he was swimming, he realized that the light was actually the Moon. So much for that Ranger buddy protective system.
Mike Gomolka
I admired his positive attitude. He was a genius. When faced with a question of why they did a military exercise a certain way. Kris could spout off a string of words that sounded so reasonable that the SGT would just say "Carry On." Kris would grin at the rest of his Ranger buddies as if to say, " They bought that?"
They had a night jump and Mike and Kris were the two newest "cherries" in Battalion. The rest of the guys just were waiting for them to screw up. Kris and Mike were the last out of the plane. The made it to the field, made first contact and rendezvoused successfully and made it to the rest of the group in record time. The rest of the squad was impressed.
Kris’ RIP class is legendary. At the time this class started with 219, there were no available slots for Rangers at the end of the three weeks. The mission for the RIP instructors was to get rid of them all. Only nineteen finished this impossibly difficult session and this class is known as a legend.
To add to this description: Andy Mulligan told me how Kris depicted the last night of RIP to him on his visit home July 2001. Kris described the night as cold and raining, the ‘would be Rangers’ were hypothermic, caring their rucksacks over their heads for hours. There was a fire burning just out of touch with food set up. The SGT would come and whisper in the ears of the soldiers, "You don’t really want to be a Ranger, go have some food, it’s nice and warm over there." Nine dropped out that night. Kris knew at one definite point of the night that he was absolutely going to make it. So when the SGT came to whisper the same nonsense to him, Kris could not contain himself and started to giggle. Not a real smart idea, but it was the classic scene he had seen in his head from his brother’s narrative of basic training so many moons ago. Kris must have paid dearly for that bit of fun that was going on inside his brain
Steve Wallace
I never knew your son. I went through Ranger School with a few of his buddies from 3/75. On the day he died, we were in the Swamps in the Florida Phase of ranger school. The RIs told us about the first casualties from the "War on Terror", and then asked for the Bat Boys from 3/75 to step to the side--they had a few private things to tell them. My Ranger Buddy was a Bat Boy from 3/75 and knew your son well. He had nothing but great things to say about him. This is a telling trait your son must have possessed, because Rangers are notorious for telling it like it is--even in death. I admired your son for all that he was and all that he gave. Not enough Americans are willing to do the things we do, and when we lose one, it is painful. I am leaving for Afghanistan soon and hope that my family will not have to go through what you and yours did--yet they know what we do and have stoically resolved themselves to my future. I know that no words can make you feel better, but I wish you the best in all that you do. God Bless. Rangers Lead the Way.
Matt Finlay
Do remember when Ric got his first Beebe gun? Tif convinced Ric to shoot him in the behind, one pump, because he was curious to see what level of injury it would inflict. So naturally Ric shoot him in the butt, and Tif dropped like a sack of potatoes screaming and yelling. He was fine though; it didn't pierce the skin, just stung real bad. It was one of the many high-jinx antics we were up to at that age. I think if you and Mr. Stonesifer knew about it, you would have perhaps confiscated the rifle sooner than you did. All in all, no harm was done. Another quick story, remember how Tif broke his arm? The two trees up on the back hill behind your house had a neoprene rope, which we tied for a zip line. Looking back this was pretty dangerous, but we didn't see it that way. We took old pairs of Adidas shorts, bound them up and used them to slide down the rope, (I’m sure Ric remembers this) Well, after enough turns they would start to weaken due to the intense friction. Tif decided to do it at dusk one early evening and slipped out of the tree and landed on his arm, he yelled so loud I remember a bunch of lights quickly turning on in the neighbors houses. He was completely fearless, always willing to test the laws of Physics
I never quite grasped the reality of Kris's death back in September. My sister Kate who you may remember, woke me up with the terrible news. It took a few days to process as I kept remembering what a fond childhood I had had with your family. I remember you guys being very supportive and kind to me, I remember quite clearly us guys playing Ninjas in the woods behind your old home on Pheasant Road, Kris or Tif as we called him then, up until he was 12 or so when he'd rather all of us call him Kris, was my best friend. He was inspiring in the way he viewed life, he had a way of maintaining the most imaginative view of our little world, which was those woods. There, we built forts and set boo-be traps while my dog Candy tagged behind. I remember us climbing trees far too high and far too dangerous but never showing an ounce of fear. It didn't surprise me in the least when I learned he was a Ranger. It seemed looking back, that he was destined to do this.
(Mom’s reply)
He continued to build those booby traps in MT. When someone ran over one of their structures Kris decided to put a booby trap with several rows of sharp spikes in it. I do not believe they actually used the devise to blow the guys tires out, but he must have had fun just plotting the retaliation. I think Luke still has the apparatus. He used to set minor explosions to go off in the kitchen cupboards to get Andy's heart started in the morning.
He was even up a tree on our last full day of visiting last July. You are right, he did not show fear. Except for one time; his Ranger buddy Jeremy VanLaningham said Kris was really scared to jump out of the planes. I know he told me he would prefer not to do that parachute stuff.
Kristina Finlay
I don't know if you remember me but I used to baby-sit for your sons, Ric and Tif, as he was called back then. Kris and my brother Matt were very good friends when they were about eight years old. They were always tracking back in the woods behind your house with our dog Candy. Matt and Kris seemed to be joined at the hips when it came to ninja games and just being boys. I recall the summer that Kris broke his arm and when the cast came off he got quite sunburned. I remember that he saw E. T. about 500 times and never got sick of it.
Erin Carter
I apologize for the informalities, but Mrs. Stonesifer seems so out of place. After spending the last hour on Kris' website I feel as though I know you a bit better than a mere title. My name is Erin Carter. My husband Keith and I were in ROTC with Kris, and we commissioned with Lt Tom Hanlon's class; so like Tom we only knew Kris for the one-year we shared at University of Montana.
My husband was a fellow philosophy major, you know as well as I what a rare combination that is- future Army Ranger and philosophy student at a liberal college. It was inevitable Keith and Kris would be better friends than most classmates.
I am writing because I have thought of Kris often since May of 2000, the last time we were together. Many times Keith and I asked each other aloud, "I wonder how Stonesifer is doing?" each time one would answer the other with "I'm sure he's kicking ass somewhere in the Army". When we heard through the grapevine that Kris was going to leave ROTC and enlist in the Army Keith and I were appalled. We immediately went to Kris, hoping he would say the rumor was wrong, that of course he wasn't going to enlist. Keith was able to relate to Kris' aspirations to be an Army Ranger and to belong to the elite fighting unit, the Special Forces. He too had such goals. But what neither of us could get used to was the idea that the Army was losing such a tremendous officer. We knew Kris was a tremendous asset to the Army in whatever rank he held, but we both also knew he exemplified the characteristics of a superior officer. His ability to relate to others, to encourage them through his actions first and his words second and his quiet confidence made people willing to follow him anywhere. I know why his Ranger brothers had such respect for him; I saw it first hand years ago.
The last time Keith and I were with Kris was the night of our graduation. We ran into him at a Pub called Sean Kelley's in downtown Missoula. The place was packed full of cadets like Kris, ready to head to Advanced Camp that summer and newly commissioned "butter bars" like us- getting ready for OBC. All of us classmates and friends for at least the last year. Keith and I sat down with Kris to share a pint and I listened as Keith made one last ditch effort to get Kris to change his mind. As was his nature, Kris listened with a half-smile and thanked Keith for the praise of his abilities.
Then he said something I'll never forget. He told us that he never wanted to "be out of the shit", that being enlisted would guarantee him that he would never move to a desk job, that he would always be able to be a part of the fight- whatever the fight might be- and that was what he wanted more than anything; the action. We smiled, shook his hand and wished him well telling him we knew he would excel regardless of what path he chose.
He and Keith went on to talk a bit about their philosophy courses that past year and even joked that when people asked a new grad with a philosophy degree what he would do with it, the standard answer for them was "join the army of course." When we parted ways that night we never imagined that would be the last time we saw Kris. The Army is a small world and we felt very confident that before too long we would see him again. There was always a possibility that Kris would even be a Ranger in a platoon led by one of our fellow classmates, if not Keith, and that idea seemed exciting. In our wildest dreams we never thought the next time we would see his name we would be watching the future of our country unfold on CNN.
Penny Neff
Two of my "ranger sons" (Jeremy VanLaningham and Joshua Kenny) brought Kris out to the farm about 6 weeks or so before they were deployed. It was totally obvious how much he loved his family. I thought at the time how proud this young man was of his family and how his love for them was so evident. He just wanted to be the best at whatever he did, and he felt like he had finally found his place. His two friends loved him and they were like the three musketeers. They had taken Kris into their "family" and that is why they brought him out to the farm. Because this is their "home" and they wanted him to be a part of their "home". Kris had that smile that would light the world. He was sincere, "what you see is what you get". The "sons and brothers" as I call them, can call me anytime and invite themselves to dinner, as long as they give me a day’s notice. So, they did. And brought Kris. I cook dinner for them. We sit at the table together; we always join hands and say grace before the meal. We placed Kris at the head of the table (that is the seat of honor)...that was our way to welcome him to the family. He loved to eat.....didn't he. We had a Texas dinner...steaks...baked potatoes...homemade bread...and apple pie with ice cream. After dinner, while I clean up...the boys watched a movie and enjoyed premium cigars that I keep just for them. Kris had a blast. He was so gracious. From what I saw....Kris loved his country....and was doing what he wanted to do. I know that you are so very proud of him.
When you visit the web site and listen to The Ultimate Ranger. I have dedicated it in memory of Kris and Jonn. Kris stood here in the kitchen and read the words before dinner.
When I opened the pictures of Kris.....God took my breath away for a moment....for there was that beautiful million dollar smile that I remembered on the face of your beloved warrior son. I was numb for a few minutes, because I kept seeing him sitting with Jeremy and Joshua...smoking their cigars...grinning at each other....and enjoying their comrade bond.
Lt. Col. Jim Clegg
"He wanted to be the best soldier in the U.S. Army, and the best soldiers in the Army are in the Ranger battalion," said Lt. Col. Jim Clegg, who headed the university's ROTC program. Those who knew Stonesifer remember a young man who thrived on mental and physical challenges. A ROTC buddy, J.C. Schneider, said that for fun and practice, Stonesifer would round up other cadets at night and hop from roof to roof of buildings in downtown Missoula. The goal was to try to survey the scene without being detected. Clegg said Stonesifer was one of his best students - older and wiser than some of his counterparts. "He was a very mature and focused young man, one of my top two cadets in a very challenging year," Clegg said. "He made better decisions than some of the younger cadets made."
Andy Mulligan
One of the favorite tricks to play between the threesome of Luke, Andy and Kris was to secretly load up just enough rocks in the other person’s backpack as not to be detected until they carried them all the way to camp. Then as they would unpack the Joke rocks, it became quite a source of amusement and challenge for revenge.
On a trip in to a local hot springs, all their flashlights quit at the same time. Andy suggested that the group burn their underwear as torches to finish the trip to the springs. At the end of the end of the trip when Andy unpacked his backpack, Kris and Luke had stuffed all the burnt underwear for Andy as a keepsake.
Pat Bygrave (carpool Orange Park FL Kindergarten) Daughter Julie (ages about 4)
Julie recounted her vivid memories of life on Springhaven Drive—she tells me that this is the part of her childhood that she remembers with the happiest memories. She recounted the times that she and Tif fought because he always had to be Luke Skywalker- and that made her Princess Leia.
I often laugh as I remember him screaming with indignation that he, in fact, did not have a "frog in his throat." We were on our way to O.P.K. and he was a little hoarse- I learned better than to use that expression again! And everyday he would shout for me to stop at "Fucky Tied Chicken" for lunch.
Bill Kast
Kris and I lived in the same dormitory our freshmen year and started a close friendship within weeks of meeting. Our sophomore year we lived in apartments off campus called the Christiana Towers along with our fiends Pat Leiter and Jon Altschuler. When he left the University of Delaware, we were all sad but understood that Kris would probably be happier/more fulfilled doing something other than studying and drinking beer. He seemed to be on a quest for a reasonable meaning for (his) life and the classic philosophy books that he was reading were not helping him get there.
I wanted to share a couple of stories with you that you probably never heard about Kris, and also to tell you what a great boy you raised, and how sorry we all are that he’s gone.
Our freshman year, Kris almost convinced me to start a band. Kris was of course a very good guitarist. I played no instrument and have a mediocre at best voice. He convinced me that because I had longer hair, I had the look to be the ‘front-man’ and since he didn’t have any better choices of singers, I was it. We would sit in my dorm room at least once a week, and he’d play Doors and REM songs that we both liked. He was too shy to sing at all, and I’d do my best while he tried to keep a straight face at my pitiful howling. We gave up on the public performance concept after a couple of months, and instead spent out time recording musical answering machine messages.
We had a lot of great times. Kris was a really thoughtful, insightful and reliable guy. He was also silly at times and thought outside the box. I admired him for his originality. I am proud of Kris for finding a meaning for his life. A lot of us are not critical enough to examine the meaning of our day-to-day life. But Kris did constantly and found a fulfilling career. I bet he was an excellent Ranger. More importantly, he was a great person.