Father of Ohio soldier killed in Tennessee explains irony of son's death

Associated Press

THORNVILLE, Ohio

The father of a Marine slain in the Chattanooga shootings said Sunday his son had volunteered for duty at the reserve center where he was killed because he was interested in helping people.

Kip Wells said his son, Lance Cpl. Skip Wells, was scheduled to leave that duty soon, within days or weeks.

His son followed in a long family military tradition dating to his great-grandfather’s Navy service in World War II, Wells said.

Kip Wells, who helped liberate Kuwait as a member of the Navy during the first Gulf War, said he found it ironic that a Kuwaiti-born person killed his son.

“We send our service people into harm’s way overseas and that tends to be when we worry about them the most,” Wells said. “We don’t tend to worry so much when we’re at home. So this is more of a surprise than most people would have for a military family.”

Wells said some consideration should be given to arming some of the people who work at such centers.

“Please give these guys something, give them something just in case,” said Wells, 45, who lives near Buckeye Lake in central Ohio. “If they have sentries there, arm them.”