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Sister mourns soldier

Sergeant died in crash near Philippines

'We turned to each other for support' after losing mother early

By MATT STILES Staff Writer  
Published March 18, 2002

Jessica Ridout and her only brother, Juan, had little choice but to stick together.

The pair lost their mother to cancer before they began kindergarten, and they spent much of their childhood moving to different towns and schools across the world with their father, a Navy seaman.

So when the phone rang last month and she learned that her brother, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Juan Ridout, was in a helicopter that crashed near the Philippines, she didn't want to accept that she would never see him alive again.

"I'll sit back, and I'll take my time," she said. "I have a strong faith and God, and I believe that everything happens for a reason. If he's gone, then that's the way it was meant to be. I will thank God for just having him for my 27 years."

Sgt. Ridout and nine other soldiers were on board the MH-47 Chinook helicopter that crashed Feb. 22 into the sea during an exercise as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Though his body hasn't been recovered, military officials have told his family members - many of whom live in Dallas - that he died in the accident.

Carrying these emotions, Ms. Ridout and other relatives met her brother's commanding officer Sunday. Air Force Maj. Jeffrey Staha, who had known Sgt. Ridout five years, came from Japan to visit Ms. Ridout's Dallas home to offer condolences and turn over mementos and medals from Mr. Ridout's special forces unit.

Maj. Staha told them what they already knew: Sgt. Ridout was a dedicated soldier who loved the excitement of his job. He was bright and funny, so much so that his fellow soldiers gave him the nickname "Jokester." And Maj. Staha reminded them that Sgt. Ridout had died defending freedom.

He brought with him no positive news about Sgt. Ridout's fate.

But family and friends who came to Ms. Ridout's home from as far as Houston and the Rio Grande Valley also heard a side of Sgt. Ridout that the 29-year-old soldier had rarely discussed. They heard battle stories - most of which Sgt. Ridout, whom they described as a humble man, rarely repeated.

Sgt. Ridout, an expert swimmer, parachutist, demolitions technician and paramedic, exchanged gunfire with Serbian forces in May 1999 as he rescued Col. Dave Goldfein, whose F-16 had been shot down by an enemy missile deep inside hostile territory.

"He never talked about the great things he had done," said his aunt, Connie Lang of McKinney. "I wish we would have known so we could have told him how proud we were."

Ms. Ridout's voice trembled as she read a card sent by Col. Goldfein, who offered his sympathy and thanked her for her brother's sacrifice.

"I'm living proof of his heroism," he wrote.

During the short ceremony, the family also heard details about Sgt. Ridout's six weeks in the Philippines. He was there among the more than 600 American troops involved in a training exercise with the Philippine military aimed at wiping out a rebel Muslim group that officials say has ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

His helicopter crashed after dropping off special forces troops and equipment on Basilan Island, about 550 miles south of Manila. It plummeted into high seas and exploded. Maj. Staha said the cause of the crash is under investigation.

"Juan was killed in the line of duty," Maj. Staha told the group. "He didn't die on a training mission. He died doing a deed that is required after September 11th."

Throughout the afternoon, Ms. Ridout displayed dozens of photographs of her and her brother hugging and grinning. She also told stories about their life together. She visited him at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan - where Sgt. Ridout was stationed - just before the Sept. 11 attacks. He alsoo came to Dallas for Christmas last year, she said.

"I was really fortunate to be able to spend that time with him," she said.

Ms. Ridout said her brother spent much of his time looking out for her - and she did the same for him.

"We turned to each other for support," she said. "When it came down to it, my brother never stood alone if I was there, and the same with him."

There, with her pride and love, also lives the dread and loss she experienced three weeks ago when her father, Mike, called and told her about the accident.

Ms. Ridout said the pace of the recovery effort frustrates her. She hopes Sgt. Ridout's body is still inside the helicopter, where military officials suspect it is, so the family can bury him in Corpus Christi, near his mother's grave.

A military salvage operation is attempting to recover the downed aircraft from 1,500 feet of water.

As time goes by, Ms. Ridout said, she'll accept the worst but still holds out hope for a miracle.

"When I was younger, I told my brother that he would never be alone," Ms. Ridout said. "I can't let go, as long as there is one little chance that he is out there."