Remarks by Major Jeffrey F. Staha, Commander, 320th Special Tactics Squadron:  

During these last few difficult days I wondered what I could possibly say to honor MSgt Bill McDaniel and SSgt Juan Ridout and as I thought about what to say a question kept arising in my mind.  That question was, where do we get such men and why do they volunteer and serve in such a dangerous profession.   And God put on my heart a verse that I think aptly answers that question.  Reading from Gods word in Isaiah 6:8 it says Also I heard the voice of the lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us; then said I, here am I send me.

Much like preachers, pastors, and other servants of God who answer the call of service in God’s army, I believe Bill and Juan answered a special calling in the service of our country and particularly to being a Pararecueman.  Just as the service in the Lord requires sacrifice, so does service as a pararescueman.  That sacrifice often means months on end separated from family and friends, deployed in far off lands, serving the cause of freedom, and this for us, often involves great risk.

These men were specially selected and specially trained to save lives, even if that meant giving their lives in the process.  Their mission during the early hours of February 22d was to fly as pararescueman as part of Wild 42 crew to provide immediate rescue of others if a situation arose that required their help. This mission was in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom assisting the people of the Philippines in their efforts to rid their country of the same terrorist network with links to the terrorist group that attacked our country on September 11, 2001.  It was and is a noble cause.  I think it’s important to the families and friends to know that when this accident occurred that Wild 41, the flight lead and fellow 320th STS pararescueman immediately sprang into action to search and rescue their fallen comrades.  SSgt Tim Tweeter and SrA Aaron Butler both put their lives at risk in bad weather, at night; were lowered into the water to rescue their friends, but to no avail.  These men aboard both aircraft were valiant in their mission and they knew that each would be there for the other.
As special operators we spend a lot of time deployed together and with that we learn a lot about each other.  Our dreams, our likes and dislikes,  and who is important to us.  MSgt McDaniel, “Bill” was the epitome of the quiet professional.  He was a very quiet person who never sought recognition.  He carried himself with great dignity and was always a professional.  All he wanted was to operate and be the best at what he did.  In recent months I had the privilege of really getting to know Bill while deployed to Guam on a training deployment and to the Philippines.  During these trips and at other times waiting on the flight line behind an aircraft getting ready for a jump I learned that Bill had basically 4 priorities in his life and in some form or fashion they would almost always come out in our talks.  First and foremost as you heard form his Pastor, Bill was a born again Christian.  He and I often shared our mutual relationship with the lord.  His second priority was his wife Debbie.  He spoke of her determination, strength, and character, and I can tell you from the past few days he was right.  Debbie, there was no question that you were the “light of his life”.  His third priority was his great love for his son.  I remember after a hard day of jumping, Bill and I had dinner together at the Outback, and again we talked about the lord, his wife, and his son.   He was so excited for Christmas because he had a Power Wheels Jeep on layaway for Alex.  He only wished they made them big enough for him so he could ride with Alex.  He so loved his son.  His last priority and no less important was his life as a pararescueman.  He loved jumping out of airplanes, shooting, flying in helicopters, and working in the water.  He was so good at it, that he was the 2001 320th Pararescueman of the Year.  I think Bill had his priorities right.

SSgt Juan Ridout, well he was an operator of a different sort.   He absolutely lived to be a PJ.  He ate it, he dreamed of it I’m sure, and he certainly lived it.  I’ve known Juan for a number of years as he and I were members of the 22d STS at our last assignment.   There I saw him grow from a new PJ to a war-tested veteran.  He was a part of the rescue team that went deep into Serb held Kosovo during Operation Allied Force and successfully recovered Hammer 34 an F-16 pilot who had been shot down.  They braved intense hostile fire and risked their lives to safely recover this pilot and once again he lived up to the PJ motto “That others may live”.  When he transferred here, his zeal for the job, dedication to duty, and exceptional performance led to his selection as the 1999 320th Pararescueman of the Year.  While working in operations or on a team, Juan was the unit jokester and he constantly had us laughing with his unique view on situations and his comical gestures he was known for.

In his off-duty time, most of us in the unit know, he was inseparable from his longtime girlfriend Stacee.  He often spoke of her and cherished his time with her.  On some mornings at PT I would see her with him while he worked out in the pool.  Juan was a man who loved life, loved Stacee, and loved his work.

If there is any solace to take from this loss, it is this: Both Juan and Bill trained long and hard to become PJs, both fought to get on this mission, and both died together serving their country in the global war on terrorism.