empacher48 - I totally agree with what you said and I don't think you sounded like a tosser!
Had a near-death experience through those ranges myself (well... it felt like it at the time) - brand new PPL, no experience, no fricken idea basically, told to fly through there by my instructor "on a nice clear day so that if you ever get stuck due to weather you can find your way through on a crap day..."
Westerly 25-35 kts... like I said... no idea. To date and 500 hours later have not experienced turbulence like it.
Tis very very sad. RIP.
