Graham Ragsdale
Encyclopedia
Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale of the Canadian Forces
was the commander of the Third Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
sniper team attached to the 101st Airborne of the U.S. Army
during Operation Anaconda
in the Shah-i-kot Valley, Paktia Province, Afghanistan
in March, 2002. The sniper
team recorded more than 20 priority target confirmed kills including the long distance record combat kill of 2430 metres set by Corporal Rob Furlong
. Master Corporal Ragsdale with selfless disregard for his own personal safety operated his sniper
team through extreme weather conditions at high altitude while under direct and indirect enemy fire aiding the success of the mission by identifying and neutralizing enemy targets and saving allied lives. He was awarded the U.S. Army
Bronze Star
with "V" for valour for his actions in combat and the Mention in Dispatches Oak Leaf by the Canadian Forces
for valiant conduct and meritorious service.
, England
and raised in Kincardine, Ontario
, Canada
. He joined the Canadian Forces
after graduating from Secondary School and upon completion of parachute
training he was posted as a paratrooper
to 2 Commando
of the now disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment, Special Service Force
(SSF
) where he gained the reconnaissance, sniper, diver, machine gunner, communications, and mountain operations qualifications. After leaving the military to attend university he rejoined and was posted to 3 PPCLI where he gained the mortarman, leadership, jumpmaster, freefall parachute instructor, unarmed combat instructor, British pathfinder and sniper instructor qualifications. In 2000 he completed a tour of duty in the Former Yugoslavia
with NATO's Stabilization Force (SFOR), and was then given the command role of battalion master sniper in charge of the sniper
group that in 2002 was deployed to Afghanistan
as part of the US Operation Enduring Freedom and Canadian Operation Apollo
. Master Corporal Ragsdale lost the hearing in his left ear from a danger close explosion while being mortared in open ground on Operation Anaconda and following that tour he honourably released into the care of Veterans Affairs Canada. Master Corporal Ragsdale's C3A1 sniper rifle is on display at the Canadian War Museum
in Ottawa, Canada.
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
was the commander of the Third Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
sniper team attached to the 101st Airborne of the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda took place in early March 2002 in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization and non NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot...
in the Shah-i-kot Valley, Paktia Province, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in March, 2002. The sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
team recorded more than 20 priority target confirmed kills including the long distance record combat kill of 2430 metres set by Corporal Rob Furlong
Rob Furlong
Rob Furlong , is a former corporal of the Canadian Forces, who held the record for the longest confirmed sniper kill in combat, at 2,430 metres...
. Master Corporal Ragsdale with selfless disregard for his own personal safety operated his sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
team through extreme weather conditions at high altitude while under direct and indirect enemy fire aiding the success of the mission by identifying and neutralizing enemy targets and saving allied lives. He was awarded the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with "V" for valour for his actions in combat and the Mention in Dispatches Oak Leaf by the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
for valiant conduct and meritorious service.
Biography
Graham Ragsdale was born to British immigrants from NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and raised in Kincardine, Ontario
Kincardine, Ontario
The Municipality of Kincardine is located on the shores of Lake Huron in the County of Bruce in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 12,000, and covers an area of 580 square kilometres...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He joined the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
after graduating from Secondary School and upon completion of parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
training he was posted as a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
to 2 Commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
of the now disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment, Special Service Force
Special Service Force
The Special Service Force is a designation used by a Second World war Canadian-American formation, and also used by a Canadian Army formation from 1977 to 1995.Motto - OSONS -Second World War: 1st Special Service Force:...
(SSF
SSF
-Computers:* Shortest seek first, a secondary storage scheduling algorithm to determine the motion of the disk's arm and head in servicing read and write requests-Concepts:*semi-solid forming, a casting method utilizing metal that is 50% liquid...
) where he gained the reconnaissance, sniper, diver, machine gunner, communications, and mountain operations qualifications. After leaving the military to attend university he rejoined and was posted to 3 PPCLI where he gained the mortarman, leadership, jumpmaster, freefall parachute instructor, unarmed combat instructor, British pathfinder and sniper instructor qualifications. In 2000 he completed a tour of duty in the Former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
with NATO's Stabilization Force (SFOR), and was then given the command role of battalion master sniper in charge of the sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
group that in 2002 was deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
as part of the US Operation Enduring Freedom and Canadian Operation Apollo
Operation APOLLO
Operation APOLLO was the codename for an operation conducted by Canadian Forces in support of the United States in its military operations in Afghanistan. The operation took place from October 2001 to October 2003...
. Master Corporal Ragsdale lost the hearing in his left ear from a danger close explosion while being mortared in open ground on Operation Anaconda and following that tour he honourably released into the care of Veterans Affairs Canada. Master Corporal Ragsdale's C3A1 sniper rifle is on display at the Canadian War Museum
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum covers all facets of Canada’s military past, from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several thousand years ago to the country’s most recent...
in Ottawa, Canada.
Medals and Decorations
- Sacrifice Medal (replacing the previously awarded Wound Stripe) - AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
- South West Asia Medal - AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
- Special Service Medal - AlertAlertTo be alert is to be in a state of alertness.Alert or ALERT may also refer to:-Places:* Alert, Indiana, a community in the United States* Alert, Nunavut, Canada, the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world...
- Canadian PeacekeepingPeacekeepingPeacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
Service Medal - NATO SFOR Medal - Former YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
- U.S. ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Bronze StarBronze Star MedalThe Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with "V" - Mention in Dispatches Oak Leaf
- Commander-in-Chief Unit Citation
- Presidential Unit Citation
- McMillan Trophy
Badges
- Parachute wings Canadian ForcesCanadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
- Parachute wings British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
- Parachute wings British SAS
- Sniper badge Canadian ForcesCanadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
- Sniper badge British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
- Parachute wings senior United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- Parachute wings HALO United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- Air Assault wings United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...