Sergeant First Class Riley Gene Stephens was born on August 26, 1973, in Tolar, Texas, a small town about 46 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Tolar would remain home to him throughout his life, and the town would turn out in force to honor him.
Riley enlisted in January 1993 as an infantryman. After training at Fort Benning he joined the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he served as a squad automatic weapon gunner and a fire team leader. He later served as a scout section leader with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Along the way he earned the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Air Assault Badge and the Ranger Tab.
Riley volunteered for Special Forces Assessment and Selection and, in March 2005, graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course as a Special Forces medical sergeant. He was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg. His training included Emergency Medical Technician and Advanced Cardiac Life Support courses, the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course, the Hostage Negotiation Course, SERE and the USASOC Jumpmaster Course. Teammates valued his calm under pressure and his skill as a medic.
With the 1st Battalion, Riley deployed to Afghanistan five times; it was his sixth deployment overall. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, a second Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device, the Army Achievement Medal, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Senior Parachutist Badge and the Special Forces Tab. He also received the Canadian Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation.
On September 28, 2012, Riley was killed by small-arms fire in an exchange of fire at a checkpoint in Wardak Province. He was 39. His death was reported nationally as the 2,000th American military death of the war in Afghanistan, a milestone that reminded the country of the individual lives behind the number. He was posthumously awarded another Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Back home, residents gathered for a candlelight vigil on the old Tolar Rattler football field, and his funeral procession carried him from Tolar to Dallas–Fort Worth National Cemetery. He is survived by his wife Tiffany, his children, his parents Michael and Joann and his brother Ken. Riley’s name lives on through the Duskin and Stephens Foundation, which honors him and his fellow 1st Battalion teammate, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Duskin, and through community remembrance events in Hood County.
Riley’s legendary skill as a Special Forces medic saved countless lives. His courage under fire was matched only by his compassion.
1st SFG(A) Detachment Commander
Sources
- ARSOF History: Sergeant First Class Riley G. Stephens
- Green Beret Foundation: Riley G. Stephens
- NBC 5 Dallas–Fort Worth: Tolar remembers soldier killed in Afghanistan
- NBC News: 2,000 gone in Afghanistan
- BBC News: US military death toll in Afghanistan reaches 2,000
- Hood County News: Ruck Forward event honoring Green Beret Riley Stephens
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Riley Stephens Bio.docx
