Last week, with just five days to go until his discharge, the family was putting the finishing touches on a big homecoming.

Ranz's father, Greg, planned to purchase land in the sand hills of the rural farm town that once belonged to his parents — Ethan's grandparents — as a surprise homecoming gift.

Then came word on Saturday that Ethan Ranz had been killed — not in the fields and mountains of Afghanistan where his family had feared for his life — but in Wahiawa when police said his pickup was rear-ended late Thursday night on Kamehameha Highway.

Ranz was rushed to Wahiawa General Hospital, where he died less than an hour later, leaving behind his parents, Colleen and Greg Ranz, and brothers Sonny, Cody and Evan. Ethan Ranz was 23.

Yesterday, the town of 850 where Ranz grew up was grieving, and his family was contemplating a different kind of homecoming.

"We're kind of all in shock here," Greg Ranz said by telephone. "What happened to my son?"

Since April 2004 when Ethan went to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, many in his childhood home, just 58 miles from Fargo, N.D., held continuous prayer chains at four different churches.

Ranz said sometimes his son didn't understand how he got through certain situations unharmed. "We told him God is shielding him with the prayers we were sending," Ranz said.

But when Ethan returned safely to Schofield Barracks on May 1, the town stopped praying.

"We kind of quit praying because we all thought he was safe. That's why it's tough to accept his death," Ranz said.

Police said no one has been arrested in connection with Thursday's accident, which occurred on Kamehameha Highway about a quarter-mile north of Leilehua Golf Course Road.

The driver of the other vehicle, a 28-year-old Wahiawa man, was treated for injuries at Wahiawa Hospital and released.

Once the police investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the city prosecutor's office for review and possible action, police said yesterday.

At 6-feet-5 and 230 pounds, Ethan will always be remembered as the big guy with the big heart, his father said.

"He was always so generous," said Ranz, adding that he was the type of person who would do anything for anyone. "He'd offer us money when he knew we were behind, but I never accepted it."

Ranz said he came to expect the unexpected from his son, especially as a young boy.

When Ethan was 14 years old, he and his father went fish-bait trapping at a nearby pond. Ethan was left to pull in the leeches from the pond while his father went off with his brothers.

"When we came back, Ethan was laying up on the bank with an empty boat, empty pail and full of mud," Ranz said. Ethan told his father the traps were empty.

A day or two later, Greg learned that Ethan had lied. "I found out Ethan was out there paddling around and had a pail full of leeches but sunk the boat to the bottom," he said, laughing.

Ethan spent his whole hour trip pulling the boat from the bottom of the 6-foot-deep pond.

"He was always the jokester," Ranz said.

In Afghanistan, Ranz was team leader for C Company and an anti-tank squad leader. His team conducted more than 150 combat patrols and he was responsible for leading all major convoy operations for his company.

During an ambush on his unit, he moved his vehicle to provide cover for his fellow soldiers, according to military documents. As a result, the unit escaped with only one injured soldier.

A week later, Ranz was leading a convoy when a road-side bomb exploded near the rear vehicle. He rushed to the end of the convoy to provide life-saving assistance, according to military documents.

His efforts earned him a Bronze Star, a medal given either for heroism or meritorious achievement in ground combat.

"His selfless dedication to mission success and soldier welfare led to unprecedented success in combat," reads the summary of his actions in Afghanistan.

Before leaving for Afghanistan, Ethan had two rings made, each of which bore the Ranz family crest. He gave one ring to his father. Ethan kept the other.

When father and son sent letters to each other, they would seal the letter with wax and imprint it with the crest from their rings. "Family was important to him. He wanted me to know it was coming from the real son," Greg Ranz said.

Ethan's desire to serve his fellow man is a family tradition, tracing back to his grandfather, Ranz said.

"He wanted to be like my dad, Grandpa Gordy, to defend and protect our country," Ranz said. Ethan idolized his Grandpa Gordon Ranz, who fought in World War II.

It's a shame Ethan will never receive his grandfather's land, said Ranz.

"I wanted him to have it. If anyone could take care of it, he could."

Well-wishers came and went all day at the Ranz home in Fertile, some bringing food, some just to say a few words.

Greg Ranz did his best to keep his composure, but occasionally he couldn't hold back the tears.

"I never thought that I'd be burying my baby," he said.