Ryan Michael Laughna

West Point, 2003

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by John Gabriel on August 19, 2023:

I am still processing the loss of Ryan and suspect I will be for a while. It remains very difficult to accept. His death is a crushing loss and so counter to the invincibility we all associated with him. He was a giant of a human being and incredibly kind. He navigated life with so much well-deserved confidence and ease. He connected with people on a very personal level, and he pushed us to enjoy life to its fullest, damn the regulations! Ryan was not only the greatest storyteller I knew, he was the greatest story creator I knew. Those that spent time with Ryan likely have a "Ryan Laughna Story" that is shared with only those that knew Ryan because no one else would believe them. These stories are a mix of tall tale, truth, and context that couldn't be replicated. Did Ryan really hang off the back of a freight train from Columbus, GA to North Carolina? Maybe. Did Ryan run three super-marathons in one weekend? Did rabbits live in his cadet room? Did he later poison the entire company with rabbit stew? Did he drive 26 hours for a 3-hour concert over a two-day weekend? Did he bury food and leave treasure maps for follow-on ranger school students? (...and I am only comfortable publishing the lamer stories). Whether true or not, Ryan is and will always be a legend. As his friend and cadet company commander, I made a point to not ask him any questions about life; and he was kind enough to not share the details with me. Though, I lived vicariously through him and craved to hear how he most recently conquered the world. Ryan could spin a story in a way that would captivate the house and bring it down in laughter, and I am a terrible storyteller. More times than I can count, Ryan would take the nonsense that I tried to present as interesting and would immediately retell it in the most captivating way. In his honor, I offer a series of disjointed memories...something Ryan would expect of me with a smile. He enjoyed pushing back on the system and likely broke most of our school regulations. He cared deeply about everyone around him. He was my Ranger buddy in Ranger School and would routinely save me some of his food. A volunteer firefighter in high school, Ryan continued to carry rope in his truck through college in case he ever needed to rappel down a cliff to save someone. He had a pet parrot. For a period of time, he would only fill his gas tank to half to enhance gas mileage. He consumed an ungodly quantity of calories a day to maintain his hard-earned gains. He climbed Everest and survived a blizzard on another undisclosed 8,000 meter peak. He took a point-blank bullet shot from an Iraqi Soldier in his chest like a champ and went back at it the next day. Ryan was a genuine war hero, was always positive, was willing to put up a fight for good, and was always, always up for a good time. I will cherish my memories of Ryan. His humble Hercules approach to life will never be replicated. The world was a better place with him in it. Ryan, you will be missed. Save me some crunchy peanut butter. With much love, well done my friend, be thou at peace. Be Straight or Be Gone! A-1

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