FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – More than a hundred Soldiers and Airmen participated in an inaugural march to honor a fallen Explosive Ordnance Disposal sergeant major who died while responding to an Improvised Explosive Device during a domestic response mission.
The ruck march was held to honor Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Ray Foster, Sr., who was killed by an IED at the Quincy Compressor Division Plant in Illinois in 1976.
Foster responded to the IED at the compressor plant with Staff Sgt. James P. Smith, Staff Sgt. George Sledge and Spc. 5 Mike R. Vining from the Army EOD team that was supporting Senator Robert Dole during President Gerald Ford’s reelection campaign at the time.
A seasoned EOD technician from Charlotte, North Carolina, Foster joined the U.S. Army in 1951 and served in Korea.
During his 25 years in the Army, Foster served on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Rucker, Alabama; U.S. Army Arctic Test Center, Alaska; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; Sierra Army Depot, California; and Fort Benning and Fort McPherson, Georgia.
At the time of the compressor plant response on September 28, 1976, Foster was the senior enlisted leader for the 63rd Ordnance Company (EOD) on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Foster was inducted into the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame.
The 763rd Ordnance Company (EOD) coordinated the 6.3-mile march to honor Foster and the Fort Leonard Wood-based 63rd Ordnance Company (EOD) where he served as the senior enlisted leader.
Soldiers and Airmen from the 763rd EOD Company, 554th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Chemical Brigade, 35th Engineer Brigade and the U.S. Air Force’s 368th Training Squadron participated in the march.
The 763rd EOD Company “Ozark Bandits” are part of the 242nd EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier multifunctional CBRNE formation.
From 19 bases in 16 states, American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations around the world.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Parker S.H. Petersen, the executive officer for the 763rd EOD Company, said that 86 participants finished the ruck march.
“It was an excellent turnout for the event – such a high and spirited level of participation in the memorial ruck underscores the culture of respect for the fallen and commitment to duty at Fort Leonard Wood,” said Petersen. “It was very meaningful for our EOD unit to be able to honor one of our own alongside Soldiers and Airmen from other units on the installation.”
Petersen said the company recognized several top finishers from the march.
Capt. Quinn B. Gutierrez from Bravo Company, 554th Engineer Battalion, was the fastest individual finisher and Bravo Company was the fastest unit.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Benjamin E. Carlson and Senior Master Sgt. Joshua L. Hite from the 368th Training Squadron were the fastest command team.
Spc. Alex M. Sias from the 763rd Ordnance Company (EOD) earned the fastest guidon award during the ruck march.
Three of Foster’s family members attended the ruck march, including Alicia K. Stockdale, Kenneth R. Foster, Jr., and Rodney A. Foster.
“They cheered on the ruck participants, shared stories with us about their father and growing up in their military family and were able to see our EOD company area,” said Petersen, who went to high school in Kirksville, Missouri, about three from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he majored in psychology.
Petersen said the 763rd EOD company thanked Foster’s family members for supporting the inaugural ruck march.
“It was truly impactful to have some of Sgt. Maj. Foster’s family there supporting the event, and our company is very grateful for their involvement,” said Petersen. “We also recognized Sgt. Maj. Foster’s family members, naming them Honorary 'Ozark Bandits' of the 763rd Ordnance Company (EOD) and presenting them with unit coins and patches.”
Petersen said the company intends to hold the ruck march every year to mark Foster’s legacy of sacrifice, bravery and stewardship.
“He sets a strong example of courage and service in the face of danger. He is also an inspiration for all of us in the military to be willing and able, at any time, to perform our mission should the occasion arise,” said Petersen.
“It is Sgt. Maj. Foster and people like him who have made the EOD community and the U.S. military what they are today,” said Petersen. “We owe it to those individuals to remember their legacy and to serve courageously ourselves.”
Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Mike Vining, who served with Foster during the IED response mission at the compressor plant, said he was grateful for the 763rd EOD Company for taking the time to recognize Foster for his enduring legacy in the EOD community.
Vining was one of the founding members of the U.S. Army’s most elite Special Mission Unit and he participated in many of the U.S. military operations that defined the latter part of the 20th century, as an EOD technician and an elite Special Forces operator.
“I thank the members of the 763d Ordnance Company (EOD) for remembering one of your own and my friend Ken Foster,” said Vining.
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