Class of ’04 grad killed in action
Updated 26 June 2012: Funeral Services for Rawl will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30 at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church, 5503 Sunset Blvd., in Lexington, S.C. Burial will be at Mt. Hermon Baptist Church on Cedar Creek Road in Pelion, S.C. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m., Friday, 29 June, at Barr Price Funeral Home, 609 Northwood Road, Lexington, S.C.
Full obituary can be found here.
First Lieutenant Ryan Davis Rawl, Class of 2004, was one of three coalition members killed when a suicide bomber slammed into an Afghan-U.S. military convoy Wednesday in Afghanistan. A military police platoon leader, Rawl was assigned to the 133rd Military Police Company.
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After graduation, Rawl began working at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, S.C. In 2006, he joined the Army National Guard. Rawl continued with the sheriff’s department where he was on patrol duty through January 2011. He was later assigned as a school resource officer through the spring of 2011. That summer, he was called on to active duty. His coworkers were expecting Rawl to return this September.
“He was an absolute leader, always leading from the front. He motivated his platoon to do everything they could to the best of their ability. Ryan was the most genuine person I have ever known and absolutely loved leading soldiers. His magnetic personality inspired all around him to be the best that they could be,” said Chad Bryant, ’05, who served as Rawl’s company commander in the 133rd Military Police Company.
Rawl is the 17th alumnus and the fourth member of the Class of 2004 to die in action associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Family, classmates and friends who would like to share their memories are encouraged to visit The Citadel's Facebook page.
Additional information will be posted on this website as it becomes available.
