Ross Wimer’s family already stood on edge when that first letter from Afghanistan arrived on a bitter cold day.
Rick Wimer, a retired Marine gunnery sergeant from West Point, Neb., holds his son Ross’ first letter home, dated Dec. 6, 2010, during a bloody combat tour in Afghanistan. Cpl. Ross Wimer served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
Marine Cpl. Ross Wimer, 22, of West Point (left) and Lance Cpl. Trevor Geurian, 20, clean their weapons at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, in April 2011. Both served in Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in 2010-11, which endured more casualties during that deployment than any other in the 20-year war.
Marine Cpl. Ross Wimer, 22, of West Point (right) and Lance Cpl. Tim Wagner, 20, also of West Point, catch up at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on April 13, 2011. Both spent six months in combat with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiments. The unit took more casualties — 25 died, nearly 200 wounded — during their tour than any other unit during the 20-year Afghanistan war.
At center, Marine Cpl. Ross Wimer, 22, of West Point walks back to his tent with fellow Marines Lance Cpl. Christopher Marchewka, 25, of Jackson, New Jersey, left, and Lance Cpl. Trevor Geurian, 20, of Hutchinson, Kan., after lunch at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, in 2011. The three were stationed in Sangin in Afghanistan for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the United States Marines.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR, OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
Photos: Volunteers plant trees in N.P. Dodge Park to honor Nebraskan Veterans, First Responders
Volunteers plant trees in N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. About 175 trees were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Volunteers plant trees in N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. About 175 trees were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Jeff Milise, with the City of Omaha, moves dirt around the base of a tree in N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. The tree and 175 others were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Russ Quimby and his wife Paula Pillen-Quimby plant a tree at N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. The tree and 175 others were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Jeff Milise, with the City of Omaha, moves dirt around the base of a tree in N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. The tree and 175 others were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Jeff Milise, with the City of Omaha, adjusts a tree as he plants it in N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. The tree and 175 others were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Jim Meier, director of Honor and Remember Nebraska Chapter, speaks during a tree planting at N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. About 175 trees were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Jim Meier, director of Honor and Remember Nebraska Chapter, speaks during a tree planting at N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. About 175 trees were planted in Dodge park as part of the Nebraska Memorial Forest in honor of Nebraskans veterans and first responders who died in the line of duty.
NIKOS FRAZIER THE WORLD-HERALD
Thomas Wood holds a photo of his late son, Edwin Wood, during a tree planting at N.P. Dodge Park in Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Sfc. Edwin Wood was killed by an improvised explosive device while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
Rick Wimer, a retired Marine gunnery sergeant from West Point, Neb., holds his son Ross’ first letter home, dated Dec. 6, 2010, during a bloody combat tour in Afghanistan. Cpl. Ross Wimer served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
Marine Cpl. Ross Wimer, 22, of West Point (right) and Lance Cpl. Tim Wagner, 20, also of West Point, catch up at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on April 13, 2011. Both spent six months in combat with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiments. The unit took more casualties — 25 died, nearly 200 wounded — during their tour than any other unit during the 20-year Afghanistan war.
At center, Marine Cpl. Ross Wimer, 22, of West Point walks back to his tent with fellow Marines Lance Cpl. Christopher Marchewka, 25, of Jackson, New Jersey, left, and Lance Cpl. Trevor Geurian, 20, of Hutchinson, Kan., after lunch at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, in 2011. The three were stationed in Sangin in Afghanistan for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the United States Marines.
Marine Cpl. Ross Wimer, 22, of West Point (left) and Lance Cpl. Trevor Geurian, 20, clean their weapons at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, in April 2011. Both served in Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in 2010-11, which endured more casualties during that deployment than any other in the 20-year war.
