SN 10-30-2021

The Sun and News, Saturday, October 30, 2021/ Page 7

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Amy

Ziccarello, a 2016 graduate

of Thornapple High School

and a 2020 graduate of the

U.S. Military Academy at

West Point, recently accom-

plished what few women

have done: She graduated

from the Army’s Ranger

School, earning the coveted

Ranger Tab.

The daughter of Jess and

Kelly Ziccarello of

Middleville, Lt. Ziccarello

participated in the gradua-

tion ceremony at Fort

Benning, Ga. At the time,

she was one of fewer than

100 women who have earned

the Ranger Tab since women

were first admitted to the

course in 2015. Of the 380

soldiers who started this par-

ticular class, only 184 stood

on the graduation grounds to

receive their Ranger Tab.

The course is designed in

three phases, each one build-

ing on the skills of the previ-

ous phase. The first phase

takes place at Fort Benning,

where students take part in

the first series of simulated,

around-the-clock combat

patrols that are the essence

of Ranger School. The for-

mat of these patrols is simi-

lar in each phase: Every day

a handful of students are

selected by the cadre as that

day’s leaders in a simulated

combat mission, usually a

raid or an ambush. The lead-

ers are evaluated on a pass/

fail basis as they plan the

mission and then maneuver

their platoons over long dis-

tances and challenging

ground to locate the “enemy.”

Throughout the course,

students are allowed little

sleep and two meals ready to

eat, or MREs, a day comprise

their food intake. A 20-pound

weight loss is typical.

Phase 2 is the mountain

phase in the north Georgia

mountains, and the course fin-

ishes with the swamp phase in

the Florida panhandle.

Before entering the three

phases, all students must first

make it through Ranger

Assessment Phase – common-

ly referred to as RAP Week –

a demanding four-day testing

of each individual’s physical

and mental toughness, which

includes not only an actual

fitness test, but water survival

skills, common soldier skills,

and completion of an obstacle

course widely regarded as the

toughest around.

After three days of sleep

deprivation and near-con-

stant physical stress, the

final test is a timed 12-mile

foot march carrying 47

pounds. At this point, histor-

ically only about 55-60 per-

cent of students pass and

move into the first phase.

During Lt. Ziccarello’s

course, tropical storms in

Florida brought near-con-

stant rainfall, but didn’t stop

Army training or dampen

her determination to com-

plete the course.

In high school, Ziccarello

was a class officer, served on

the student council and was

among the top 10 academic

graduates in her class. She

played volleyball, earning

all-conference, all-region,

all-county and academic

all-American honors. She

also took part Relay for Life

fundraising, church youth

camps and was a youth vol-

leyball coach.

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TKHS recognizes group of students

Thornapple Kellogg High School has announced its TK Strong Leaders for October. Peers nominate stu-
dents for displaying the TK Strong characteristics of being safe, trustworthy, respectful/responsible, owner-
ship, nice and giving. The October students are (from left) Blake Wright, Jonah Schilthroat, Eli Fliearman, Ava
Kruisenga, and Braden Sharrar. (Photo provided)

The Oct. 25 meeting opened

with roll call and reading of

the secretary’s report.

Two fish jumped out of the

fishbowl, and two new fish

jumped in.

Maryellen’s program began

a rededication by starting with

Week 1 of the “My Day 1.”

Members are restarting by set-

ting goals the “SMART” way:

Make them do-able; set small-

er goals, instead of a huge end

goal; remember that baby

steps make for a successful

journey and provide incentive

to continue.

Sue lost the Ha-Ha box.

The meeting ended with the

Rededication pledge.

TOPS, a weight-loss group

meets every Monday at

Lincoln Meadows in

Middleville. (Press Apt. 205

for entrance.) Weigh-in is

from 4 to 4:15 p.m., and meet-

ings begin at 4:15. A mask

must be worn when in the

building. Social distancing is

practiced.

Anyone with questions may

call Chris, 259-953-5421. The

first meeting is free.

Middleville TOPS 546

TK alum graduates from

Army Ranger School

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

A 46-year-old Grand

Rapids man has been sen-

tenced to up to 15 years in

prison in connection with a

hit-and-run crash that killed

a former Barry County cou-

ple more than two years ago.

Jason Steven McCann was

sentenced to 10 to 15 years in

prison Oct. 14 in Grand

Rapids by 17th Circuit Court

Judge Curt Benson.

McCann entered guilty

pleas last month to two

counts of failure to stop at

the scene of an accident

while at fault resulting in

death and two counts of

reckless driving causing

death.

According to police,

McCann was behind the

wheel of a car that struck

56-year-old Todd Fuhr and

his wife, 56-year-old Tracy

(Curtiss) Fuhr, at the inter-

section of Oakes Street SW

and Grandville Avenue in

downtown Grand Rapids

Oct. 19, 2019. McCann

failed to stop at the stop sign

and did not stop after striking

the couple. Both Todd and

Tracy Fuhr died from their

injuries.

Tracy Fuhr was a 1981

Thornapple Kellogg High

School graduate, while

Todd Fuhr was a 1982

Hastings High School grad-

uate. The couple had mar-

ried in 2005.

McCann is being held at

the Charles E. Egeler

Reception and Guidance

Center in Jackson, accord-

ing to state corrections

records.

Driver sentenced in hit-and-run deaths

of former Barry County couple

Jason Steven McCann

Lt. Amy Ziccarello