Today our walk was dedicated in honor of:
Army SPC Randy Ray Ruffner, Age 31 of Charles Town, WV.
Died Mar. 6, 2017
Ruffner followed in his father’s footsteps by proudly serving in the U.S. Army. He was an Operating Room Technician whose duty stations included Fort Sill, OK, Fort Sam Houston, Walter Reed Medical Center, Miesau Army Depot, Germany, and Fort Story, VA. Operating Room Technicians assist nurses in prepping patients for surgery and providing assistance to doctors during surgical procedures.
Ruffner was his family’s pride and joy, and he loved spending time with them! His second favorite activity was anything outdoors. Ruffner was an avid sportsman and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and hiking. Unfortunately, after a dual diagnosis of PTSD and Schizophrenia, Ruffner became dependent on the drugs prescribed to treat his illnesses. In his quest to find peace, he overdosed on drugs laced with fentanyl. Since Ruffner’s death, his family has become outspoken educators on PTSD and mental illness. They hope to spare other families from living with the pain of losing a loved one way too soon. In this way, Ruffner’s loved ones honor his legacy of love, compassion, and service. We join them in honor and remembrance of their Hero’s courageous struggle.
We had a great 10.02 Mile walk today. We walked by Lake Holiday and then headed up town to the War Memorial Park . We then walked up 127 and turned on Northside Dr. and Back to Sparta Hwy. I want to thank everyone who honked, waved, and saluted in helping me honor this hero today. We had 262 honks. Thank You !
Army SPC Randy Ray Ruffner will not be forgotten !
