Ronald Van Trussell

United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service — Washington, DC

Accident Veteran

End of Watch February 7, 1973

Age 34

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

The Vigil Panel 111 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 39

Incident

Park Ranger Ronald Trussell and Park Ranger Jake Metherell were killed in an airplane crash while en route from Cedar City, Utah, to Boise, Idaho.

They were traveling to attend a conference when the Mooney M20E plane that Ranger Metherell was piloting crashed near Elko, Nevada. The wreckage was located and recovered on April 3rd, 1973.

Ranger Trussell was a United States military veteran and had served with the National Park Service for 14 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and one child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FED-40FB2CE8
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

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Park Ranger Trussell gave the United States Department of the Interior 14 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service

Location Washington, DC

Platform Identity usdinpsfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 7, 1973

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

Age 34

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Ronald Van Trussell served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Park Ranger Ronald Van Trussell 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.

United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service

of 40 officers

70% Accident

DC — Statewide

454

of 1,419 officers

32% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident