Roll of Honor
Gale H. Wilcox
Incident
District Ranger Gale Wilcox and Park Ranger John Fonda, along with the Assistant Chief Ranger, were on back country patrol on cross-country skis in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The three came upon the Snake River, which had frozen over, and judged that it was safe to cross. The Assistant Chief Ranger began to cross first, followed by Ranger Wilcox and Ranger Fonda. Ranger Fonda had made it only 15-feet from shore when the ice broke and he fell into the river. Ranger Wilcox, who could not swim, immediately belly-crawled to Ranger Fonda's position to try to reach him with ski pole. The Assistant Chief Ranger also went to the location to help also. The ice then cracked and the other two rangers fell into the river. The Assistant Chief Ranger was able to remove his skis and then tried to remove the skis of the other rangers but was unsuccessful. He then climbed out of the water. He was able to pull Ranger Wilcox out of the water but Ranger Fonda, who was still treading water with his skis on, went under and did not resurface. Ranger Wilcox was suffering from severe hypothermia and was unable to move or speak. The Assistant Chief Ranger, who was also suffering from hypothermia, immediately set out for the nearest ranger station to radio for help and medical supplies. When rescue workers arrived at the scene they found that Ranger Wilcox had passed away from exposure. Ranger Wilcox was posthumously awarded a Citation of Valor from the Department of the Interior and the Bronze Medal from the Carnegie Hero Commission for his efforts to save Ranger Fonda. The Assistant Chief Ranger was also awarded the Citation of Valor. Ranger Wilcox had been with the agency for 24 years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-2F202D69- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
24 years. You could have gone home.
District Ranger Wilcox gave the United States Department of the Interior 24 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, District Ranger Wilcox.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
District Ranger Gale H. Wilcox is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, 28 of 40 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 70% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gale H. Wilcox's cause is highlighted.
How Gale H. Wilcox Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gale H. Wilcox is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
39 officers from United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
