Rea B. Ellithorpe

Thursday, August 28, 2008

2 comments:

Monna Ellithorpe said...: 8/21/2008
Rea, You are my heart and my soul. We shared our lives together with love, trust and happiness. I love you now and I always will. My only comfort in losing you is knowing you are no longer in pain. Rest well my Darling. I will be with you always. Your loving wife, Monna; August 28, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Monna Ellithorpe said...: August 21, 2008
On behalf of everyone who has ever worn the chevrons of a sergeant major, we are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire family. SGM Ellithorpe shared the same passion for soldiering as his legendary peers who have come before him. He also shared the same desire to excel, becoming a sergeant major. He was a terrific soldier and perhaps more importantly a better person and a great mentor. He will be truly missed by the entire NCO Corps community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
CSM (Ret) Harold Hunt (Hanover, MD); August 28, 2008 at 5:22 PM

SGM Rea B. Ellithorpe (U.S. Army Ret.)

Sergeant Major Rea Bradley Ellithorpe (U.S. Army Ret.) passed away Sunday, August 17, 2008. He was born in Nashville, TN on August 1, 1955. Rea joined the U.S. Army at the age of 17 to serve his country. He proudly served for 30 years protecting our country until his retirement in 2002.

Rea is survived by his loving wife Monna Ellithorpe, a stepdaughter Teri (Jeff) Raffey, of Lehigh Acres, step grandchildren: Cameron and Gavin Raffey of Lehigh Acres, Alex Bishop of Arkansas whom he took in to his heart as a son, his father George Ellithorpe of Tennessee, one brother and five sisters in Tennessee and many other relatives and friends who will miss him.

Rea was the recipient of many decorations, medals, badges, citations and ribbons which includes:

Completing Sergeant Major Academy
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal (6)
Army Commendation Medal (2)
Army Achievement Medal (11)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Army Superior Unit Award
Army Good Conduct Medal (9)
National Defense Service Medal (3)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Army Service Flag Issued: Exemplary performance, achievement & dedication 1972 - 2002
Armed Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon (2)

In addition to the above he also received:
Sharpshooter Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar
Expert Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge and Master Parachutist Badge with 275 jumps
Pathfinder Badge
Air Assault Badge
Ranger Tab
Parachute Rigger Badge
Drill Sergeant Identification Badge

08/21/2008
On behalf of everyone who has ever worn the chevrons of a sergeant major, we are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire family. SGM Ellithorpe shared the same passion for soldiering as his legendary peers who have come before him. He also shared the same desire to excel, becoming a sergeant major. He was a terrific soldier and perhaps more importantly a better person and a great mentor. He will be truly missed by the entire NCO Corps community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
CSM (Ret) Harold Hunt (Hanover, MD)
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09/01/2008
Just wanted to say what a great person Rea was. He was my younger brother. There were seven children in our family (five girls-two boys). Rea was 11 months younger than me. We were always calling each other especially between August 1 (his birthday) and August 21 (my birthday). My brother was always proud of the fact that my oldest son "Chris" was born on his birthday in 1972. Once while visiting in North Carolina, Rea took my children who were 10, 5, and 4 years of age to the swimming pool. I was recovering from surgery and he volunteered. My daughter "Belinda" was about 4 years old at the time he put her on his shoulders and rode down the water slide with her. I still crack up remembering when he told me about her little bony knees cutting into his windpipe and her tiny hands were blinding him as he made the scariest trip ever down the water slide. He was almost brought to tears when she fell in his back yard and bloodied up her knees. He wanted to take her to the ER. I have so many funny, wonderful memories Rea. He always teased me about calling him my baby brother because he was 6'4 and I was 5'4.

I am really going to miss him. I am so glad he was my brother.

Love

Linda
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09/01/2008
My uncle and I shared the same birthdate and even though I've only hung out with him a hand full of times, he touched me and my siblings lives. He was a great man and I've always held in great regard. He was tough on the outside with a big heart. His joking manner as all of you know was always endearing. I wish I could have known him better and learned more from him. My life would have greatly been increased had I gotten to know him more.

I have a great amount of pride in his devotion to his country, and from what I hear for the ones he's touched in his short life.

God be with you Rea!
Chris Foutch (Murfreesboro, TN)
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09/03/2008
I met Rea when i was about eleven or twelve years old. Wow what an amazing man! He was a very caring man. He was hilarious! :) i remember the big chest set he brought back from Mexico. It was huge! he taught me to play poker, we went camping, went to the firing range. To this day i still talk about the bruises from the shotgun. I remember feeling safe around him. How could you not? he touched my heart and the hearts of many everywhere he went. God bless him for who he was for people. He is a great loss to the world, and he will be missed. We salute you Rea Ellithorpe.
HOOAH!
Anthony De Leon (Raleigh, NC)
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09/04/2008
Many months ago, my drill sergeant asked me why i joined the army. i told him of the man that i spent many summers with as a young man. of the respect he commanded- that others offered freely. of the man that gave me my first high-and-tight. of the man that taught me how to tie a swiss seat and "repel" down his pine trees in the back yard. he was a hero to a young man and to a grateful country.
I'm not sure if he ever truly knew how much those years meant to myself and my younger brother. every day was a great adventure. if we were not drowning in his tent in the middle of no-where in the middle of the night, or shooting blow darts at a stuffed bear that sat helplessly on his living room couch, we were without a doubt creating memories that i hold second to none.
My father taught me how to be a man, but Rea instilled things in me that i could have otherwise never learned. i remember looking at his jump wings- his German jump wings in particular- and thinking i want to be like that one day.
he was my hero- my superman. a giant of a man- only surpassed by the greatness of his heart.
i will never forget you Rea. i only hope that i could be half the soldier that you were.
rest well my friend.
ARMY STRONG!
PFC Jonathan M deLeon
US Army- Ft. Huachuca AZ
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