[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 37 (Thursday, March 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF FALLEN MISSISSIPPI SOLDIER ARMY STAFF SERGEANT 
                       (SSG) WILLIAM S. RICKETTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 2, 2017

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of Army 
Staff Sergeant (SSG) William ``Seth'' Ricketts who paid the ultimate 
sacrifice while defending our nation on February 27, 2010, during 
Operation Enduring Freedom III. SSG Ricketts was killed by a sniper 
when his unit was ambushed by insurgents at Bala Murghab, Afghanistan. 
Before SSG Ricketts was fatally injured, he was assisting a fellow 
soldier who was wounded during the attack.
  Bill Ricketts, SSG Ricketts's father, says his son followed in the 
footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather, and uncles who all 
served in the military. When terrorists attacked our country on 
September 11, 2001, SSG Ricketts joined the Army the next day. At the 
time of his death, SSG Ricketts was assigned to Company B, Battalion, 
508th Parachute Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne 
Division, Fort Bragg, NC.
  More than 3,000 people attended his funeral held in Corinth. Bill 
Ricketts says people lined the streets to pay their respects all along 
the two-and-a-half mile procession. It was led by members of the 
Patriot Guard Riders.
  SSG Ricketts is survived by his wife, Rosie Jones Ricketts and his 
sons, Aiden, Cullen, and Seth Wesson. He is also survived by his 
parents, Bill and Sandi Ricketts and his siblings, Benjamin Ricketts 
and Tiffany Ricketts Sneed.

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