During a training exercise at Fort Lewis last Thursday, two Rangers with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment got their parachutes entangled.
Falling fast, they hit the parachute of a soldier gliding below them: 24-year-old Pfc. Blake Samodell, a native of Brush Prairie, Clark County.
All three hit the ground hard.
Samodell later died of his injuries at Madigan Army Medical Center. The other soldiers are listed in critical condition.
Yesterday, at a memorial service at Fort Lewis, Samodell's father, William Samodell, met the parents of the two Rangers.
And William Samodell, himself a former Army paratrooper, told them not to feel guilty about what had happened.
"He wanted to tell them boys to make sure they didn't dwell on it," said William's brother, Ted.
Samodell enlisted in the Army last year. After completing airborne school and Ranger training, he was assigned to Fort Lewis in December, and deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge and Basic Parachutist Badge.
"Pfc. Samodell was a hard-working and motivated Ranger," said his commander, Capt. Scott Naumann. "He made countless friends whose thoughts and prayers are with him."
Said his aunt, Kathryn: "He was a really good boy, and he was growing into quite a man."
He is survived by his mother, Vicki Samodell of Davenport, Lincoln County; his father, William, and his brother, Bryce, both of Phoenix; and his fiancée, Amy Sandaker of University Place.
Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or
afryer@seattletimes.com