On Sunday, in Washington, D.C., I met Benedict Guigas. The Army veteran was getting ready to travel home after visiting the Arlington National Cemetery grave of one of his best friends, Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross.
Ross was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan in November 2018.
Ross seems to have been a very special guy. Just 29 at the time of his death, Ross had served in the military since graduating from West Point military academy in 2011. He had married his wife, Felicia, in February 2018, and was renowned for his love of fitness and family. Guigas told me that “Drew Ross was one of the best soldiers I have ever served with. BAMF. We need people like him to protect not only our way of life, but also our young soldiers. I would give my life for his at any moment to have him back.”
Guigas describes Ross as a true leader. Someone who truly cared for those under his command. Someone, then, who embodied the very best of the warrior-leader spirit. A Green Beret, Ross was killed alongside two other Americans in an IED strike outside Ghazni. A critical link node between Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, Ghazni was a priority Taliban target in 2018. It was Americans such as Ross who held the line, gathering intelligence and countering Taliban activity wherever they found it. They gave their lives for their brothers and sisters in arms, but also in a truly noble cause. They were ordered to serve, and they served with great honor.
I never met Ross. But thanks to Guigas, I now feel that I know him just a little bit. He’ll be in my thoughts this Memorial Day. I hope you’ll also spare a moment for his family and friends.
