We all thank you so much friends. David, indeed, is missed. (Indeed is one of his favorite words) Thanks for remembering him! We will forever!

I heard this song today and thought of you guys, I had never thought of heaven as being just a breath away before but David is only a breath away.  That one last breath we take is all that separates us from Heaven time with him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTdqdOC2DtI

“Come Away With Me”

On a mountaintop

  In high school, David’s locker was above mine for the majority of our four years there. Technically, my last name came before his–Rantala before Remick–so I should’ve had the top locker. I have a sneaking suspicion he talked to Mickey or someone else before each year started to claim the top spot.   Even if he had special requested a top locker, that would’ve been fine with me had his locker not looked that an atomic bomb causality. Quite honestly, I’m scared to know what was actually IN that locker–books, food, sweaty sports gear–it’s actually impressive he got so much in there. Less impressive was when it all fell on top of my head every time we were at our lockers together. Getting hit in the head with those hardcover books was becoming a daily occurrence…and it hurt.   “DAVID! Can you just clean your locker?” I asked. “I’m tired of being hit in the head.”   “Okay, okay, I’ll fix it. I promise,” he said. “I’m sorry.”   The next day, he raced over to his locker, completely full of pride. “Cait, I have a solution!”   “Did you clean your locker?”   He dug into his bag and pulled out a red and white spray painted football helmet. “Better. I made this for you,” he said proudly, handing it to me.   “What is it?”   “It’s a football helmet.”   “But why are you giving it to me?”   “Now, when I open my locker, you can put the football helmet on and if any books fall out, you’ll be fine. Your head won’t get hurt because you’re wearing the helmet.”   “Please tell me you’re not serious.”   “It’s genius,” he said. “Here, let’s try it!”   He put the helmet on my head and I humored him while he opened his locker. Technically, it did work–assuming I could get the helmet on fast enough.   “Rem, I don’t think this a good solution–hey, where are you going? Don’t you walk away from me right now! DAVID REMICK!”   “Sorry, gotta go to class,” he yelled from down the hall.   “Oh, likely story. I bet you didn’t even do your homework!”   “No. I made you a football helmet last night. Gotta have your priorities straight, Cait!”

Notes in David’s High School Bible

• Proverbs 22: 2-25. Just as hot and cold objects have the potential to change each others temp, we are influenced by our friends for good and bad – so we must pick our friends wisely.
• Isaiah 45: 5-7. All energy comes from God.

I remember David especially for his Spiritual maturity. I will never forget the words he prayed one evening in one of our group  meetings while on a mission trip to Peru in 2006. He prayed that God would “bend our will to Your will, Lord.” I had never heard that before – the way David worded it just struck me and caused me to think about it that meant. I couldn’t believe it was coming from an 18 year old either.

For My Nephew David!

Along the way his character

Developed, sharpened, grew

Into a man he was growing

Bold and brave and new

At twelve he began re-enacting

So devoted to his craft

His mom bought an outfit

And had him photographed

At sixteen he began football

Burly, strong, and lean

He tackled player after player

A new record for the team

As the days marched on one by one

Time to graduate came

To The Citadel David would go

After winning Stewards of the Game

First year in college

 Was such a brutal thing

But David excelled

And became a Marine

Next to Naval Academy

 David surely went

To be a plebe and wear dress whites

Learning what Sampa’s stories meant

Then came the time to leave childhood behind

David entered the Marines

He discovered Ashley through the Grace of God

And learned how to lead human beings

Into war and Afghanistan he went

Dragging soldiers to safety he did

An Honorable Citation issued in his name

Clearly no longer a kid

Now he is gone, to the Lord he returned

Taking with him all the things

He did and he learned

But in my memory

He will always have his place

And never in time

Will I forget his face

He is and has always been

One of the loves of my life

And losing him has cut my heart like a knife

Aunt Nancy

 I was unable to personally come and pay my respects to David.  But everyone that had the opportunity to meet and spent time with him, knew that he was special individual.  Natural, selfless, sacrificial leader; man of amazing character; inspirational; physically strong; intelligent beyond his years; and he never meet a person whom he couldn’t make his friend.  Such a caring heart, although I was 10 years his senior, being around him, I felt like his little brother. David is truely missed and continues to live on in the hearts of those who knew him.

Lavender is symbolic of protection and healing…something we have not stopped praying for you guys. The Lord is your refuge, your protection and the only source of healing that mends a broken heart.

All our boys are gifts to father and I miss David so much. I love them all forever!!!

  I think of David often with such fond memories. It’s the small things he did for me that touched my heart. He made me feel special, but I have since learned that he made everyone feel that way! I always knew he was special, from the first day I met him at the age of 3. There we so many times I was lucky to share 1:1 conversations with David throughout the years, and was so charmed by his charisma. I was so proud of the man he had become, yet always saw a part of him as that little boy with the silly attitude and great laugh. Chip, Stephen & I talk about David all the time, and are grieving along with everyone else who had the privilege of knowing him. We are going through pictures to share with you and Kathy. So many fun times together….that make us smile. I know it has to be so hard, but think of those great Wynfield days together and smile up at David. I do! Lots of love, Lisa   I thought about your David, I remember a very young David, lanky, young, wonderful manners, and sweet smile, just an all-around wonderful, polite young boy. You and Kathy have entered a world that most shudder to think about – I’ve been here for almost 11 years as of May 23th this year.  

He was a good friend to all and I was always glad he was a friend to my Anna. I remember one night she wanted to be out later than I thought proper. I asked her who was going and she listed David as one of the people who would be wherever it was they were going. I immediately agreed to let her go and told my wife. “It’s OK. David will be there. And nothing will hurt Anna as long as David is around.”I don’t know how many High School boys that could be said of. But I was absolutely sure that David would have died trying to protect any of the girls in that group if it had proven necessary.

…Mark… I heard about David’s passing to the Kingdom… Yes, we are indeed stunned by the news… Words elude me at this sorrowful time… I can only offer this thought… Celebrate David’s life in which he accomplished more in his years then many of us accomplish in a lifetime… I remember him as a fiery Southlake linebacker bringing success to the football program… Yet, I recall his energy, his personality, his love of family and caring for his younger brothers… In fact, right here, in my library/study sitting on a shelf is tha picture I received of David in a white T-shirt with that motto printed on the back of it, that crazy motto, the one a buddy of mine in our early years of TV gave to me… And, today, as I sit here tapping out these words to you, sits that photo of David in that motto T-shirt on the shelf… That photo will remain on that shelf as long as I’m alive…Celebrate David’s life!… Remember that he gave us more than any of us could hope to receive from our lives… God moves in mysterious ways always using life’s struggles & sorrows to lead us to our appointed duties… God Bless you & Kathy, Sam, & Thomas… Tell them to be strong and to remember the sacrifice their brother gave to his beloved country!… Pops

David always wanted to take care of other people. On our senior trip to Peru we got stuck in traffic or something happened with the bus and we were on the bus for over 10 hours. I think everyone was at their wits end by that point in time. I remember David walked up the isle of the bus making sure everyone was ok. He came over to my seat just to check on me and make sure I didn’t need something. He was always thinking of others and was also ready to lift a helping hand.

So I kept going, and  just as I made up my mind that I wouldn’t give up, the sun burst through the clouds for the first time in days. Maybe it was chance, but I choose to believe it was David rewarding me for not  quitting, telling me I’d won the challenge, and continuing to motivate me just like he always has.

Soon the ice started to melt and I was able to keep going  without falling. I ran longer in those conditions than I ever had in my life.

I have never been a good runner, usually I run 2 miles, tops. But on that day, I ran 7 miles without so  much as slowing down, and it was all because David was pushing me  forward. He is still challenging me, even from Heaven. I have kept  running almost every day since, and every time I experience the same  sense of surreal motivation, as though he were running beside me, cheering me on. I am more grateful  for the workouts now than ever before because I feel like it is our time together.

This is a small example, but from day-to-day victories  to lifetime achievements, I think it is just one of the many ways David  will continue to inspire the lives of those who loved him.

I’m David Zartman, and Tacy, my wife, and my 3 girls have been friends with the Remick’s for a very long time!Ever since David was a little boy he has always been a very caring and loving person. Most boy’s when they are young think of Girls as Goosh having “Coodies” and don’t want to be near them or play with them! But, from the start of our girls meeting David, he was kind and friendly. He being the oldest ,since Scott was already out of the house, naturally set the tone from the beginning and was a true leader making sure all of my girls, Jill, Tara, and Paige were included in all of the fun! You could see his kindness each time we would come over to the Remick’s for a fun night of barbecue and play time. Off went all the Remick boys and Zartman girls to play games and enjoy each other! Many times Kathy or Tacy would have to go upstairs to round them up to get them to come down for the amazing BBQ that Mark and Kathy would cook up with all the fixin’s! Boy can the Remick’s put out a phenomenal BBQ meal! But the kids were all enjoying each other so much thanks to David’s lead that they could care less about food when they were together.As the years went by, we saw less of the Remick boys because they were involved in different schools and different sports then my three girls. But David’s concern and care for my girls never left! He came out to the NC Air National Guard a lot because he loved to play with the equipment and gear out there and he just loved the military from a very young age. When he would come out, he always found a good quite time to grab me and always ask about my girls. And it wasn’t just a casual “How are Jill, Tara, and Paige?” It was a full court press on wanting to know all they’re activities and what they each were doing with sports and boy friends! See David truly cared and really wanted to know how each of them was doing.In his junior high school days, David got sick and we were all very worried about him. Mark and Kathy had been to numerous doctors and they couldn’t seem to find a cure! My wife told me to get my butt over to the Remick’s , so I finally decided thanks to her ,to go over to the Remick’s house and let David know how much we were praying for him and hoping he would get better very soon. But before I could get any of my motivational words out of my mouth,  David began to ask me how my Girls were doing! David’s such kindhearted nature again burn brighter than ever even as he lay in his bed sick! Thanks to the many prayers of so many, David got better and went on with his amazingly successful life.But even through out his success, David never stopped caring for others! He had heard from his dad that my daughter, Tara, had been accepted to the Air Force Academy and he at the time was a senior at the U S Naval Academy. He was “somebody” , a “Bigdog”, and why would he waste his time with a rising “smack” at his rival school? Most boys in his shoes would not! But David was different. David went out of his way to check on Tara through numerous communication channels as she went through the most rigorous challenges of her life! And even took a complete afternoon of his limited Christmas break to take Tara to lunch and help her learn to cope with the stresses of the Academy. He motivated her so much that she was noticeably more positive through out the remainder of her freshman year. Simply Amazing is all we can say.Just the other day, my daughter, Tara, told me that David was a big motivator to her life. He helped her get through the toughest challenges that she had ever confronted. He had helped her and encouraged her to finish the Air Force Academy! How many people can make such an amazing impact on a persons life? This is what my Family knows about David Remick! He was a Loving, Selfless, Caring, And absolute wonderful young man. We will miss him so much! But we are sure he is Safe with The Lord now!

We love you Remick Family!!!!!

Sincerely, Dave, Tacy, Jill, Tara, and Paige Zartman

What I Remember About David                                                                19 Feb 14 David Remick.  What an absolutely wonderful young man.  I don’t remember the first time I met David, as the son of my friend Mark Remick it may have been at a squadron function or when Kathy drove out to the base.  What I do remember is how polite he was, too polite.  When I spoke to him it was always “yes sir, no sir”.  I still have trouble at times with that since I don’t consider myself that old, but calling me “Mr. Perryman”, wel l that was the limit for me.   I kept telling David that my father was “Mr. Perryman” and he could call me  “Jeff”, but you know what, it never took.  The last time I spoke to him on the phone when he was home on a visit, he still said, “thank you Mr. Perryman”. I guess what I had in common with David most was the subject of Civil War reenacting.  For a time, I was a participating member of the 21^st North Carolina.  A reenacting group representing the historical 21^st NC (which my great-great grandfather served with, but that’s another story).  Mark told me that David was interested in the subject, so I brought some of my gear for him to look at, musket, haversack, clothes, canteen, etc. and he took to it right away.  Always asking questions on authenticity and what something was used for or how it was used.  He and Mark and Kathy even made it up to my Dad’s old homeplace in Forsyth County and I helped David fire my musket.  Burning that black powder seemed to really make him happy.  The next thing you know I had talked Mark into bringing David up to Ararat, Virginia for our fall encampment at the J.E.B. Stuart birthplace. Mark and David arrived and set up their tent, David already had some gear, but with the sutlers (think stores that sell uniforms, canteens, etc.) available he was looking the part in no time.  I introduced him to our group and our commander, Captain Rahlo Leonard.  David really wanted to be able to fall in with us and participate in the “battles” that would be happening over the weekend.  There was only one small problem.  The rules say you have to be 14 to “fall in ranks” and carry a weapon.  Well, David was a little past  12 years old. That was a problem.  He was so excited about being there and wanted so badly to be part of the formation.  Finally, Captain Leonard called him over and said, “David, take off one of your shoes”, which David did.  The next thing I know, Captain Leonard takes  out a piece of paper that has “14” written on it in big numbers.  “David, put this in your shoe and then put it back on”, the Captain instructed.  David did as he was directed, and then Captain Leonard handed him a musket and cartridge belt and told him to fall in.  As David stood in our Grey Line, Captain Leonard said, “David, if any of the battalion officers come up and ask you how old you are, you tell them ‘I’m standing on 14’, and that will be the truth”.  I have never seen a bigger smile on a kid’s face.  You’d have thought that Christmas came early and school had been cancelled for a week.  The 21^st had a new recruit for the weekend and none more excited to be there and part of the action. I will always remember David as that polite, thoughtful, and respectful young man.  He has left us much too soon, and his absence will be missed by so many, who I think like me, will forever miss his presence and potential.  I still wish he would have called me “Jeff” and not “Mr. Perryman”. Jeff David Perryman

I read Mike Dobrinen’s story and saw fire man John. Jonathan does not write so I will just tell you this- When they were at the service Jonathan and Gregory were introducing themselves to the Marines. Remember both of them had on uniforms- j his guard and G his fireman dress. J said they all shook hands and talked a little. Didn’t recognize Jonathan’s name. The Marines commented about the fire truck and the flag. J and G said they did it. I forgot how it happened but all of a sudden one of the Marines said are you fire man John? They all started talking about the stories they heard from David about j and g. It made the boys feel special that David would share their stories with the guys at the academy and in the Marines. I will encourage j or g to write the story since they know the details.

Mr. Remick, My name is Brandon Penner and I had the distinct pleasure in serving with your son, David, while we were students at TBS. I cannot express how saddened I was to hear of his passing. David was more than just a friend to me, he was an inspiration and someone that I was able to learn from. I was known as the “old man” of the platoon because I was prior enlisted infantry prior to becoming an officer. So, naturally the platoon members looked to me for advise and first-hand knowledge of how exactly the Marine Corps really worked (sometimes the schoolhouse environment does not communicate this very well).

Early on, I noticed that David was a natural leader. Based on my experience in the Marine Corps, both as a junior/senior enlisted Marine and as an officer, I can honestly say that David was one of the best Marines I have ever served with. I distinctly remember him placing the needs of others ahead of himself. David was always the guy that would stay up all night during field exercises to ensure that everyone else could sleep (including myself, believe me I really appreciated it). What distinguished David during these times was that he acted in this unselfish manner naturally, it was just the person he was. David never expected acclaim or quid pro quo, he simply wanted to help out to the best of his ability for the better well-being of our platoon. As a person, David was so much fun to be around. If he wasn’t making me laugh, I was asking him historical or political questions; he was so smart. I always wanted to be around him during our field training because he was expert at making boring/miserable situations enjoyable. I am truly going to miss David, he was a friend and someone I learned a lot from. I hope this letter helps sooth some of your pain. You raised a great son who left an impression on everyone he met. Attached is a picture taken during our TBS graduation. I couldn’t leave TBS without a picture with David. My son, Daniel, is between the two of us. If you have an questions or would like to talk, please feel free to e-mail, write a letter, or call anytime.

At the mere mention of David Remick’s name, the first thing that usually pops in your head is Leadership.

Psalm 78:72   “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

That’s how David Remick led…with integrity.  And his integrity was a direct reflection of his faith.

His leadership went way beyond the physical.  He led with his heart.  He led with his mind.  He was a THOUGHT leader.  He read, he thought, he questioned…and then he inspired those around him to think as well.

But you can’t talk about David Remick without talking about his leadership on the football field.  Yes, he was an absolute beast on the football field.  But frankly, I admired him even more as I watched him carry-out his role as Team Captain.  His main objective was always…always lifting other players up.  When he wasn’t on the field, which wasn’t very often, he roamed the sideline looking for teammates to encourage.  He led by example.  He led from the front.  Something that I’m sure his fellow Marines will testify that translated from the football field to the battlefield.

 

My family and I got a front row seat to many leadership lessons taught by David Remick during his senior year of high school.  I’d like to tell you about one that really stood out.  My son David, who was a year behind Remick at Southlake Christian Academy, was a little behind in his homework.  No, actually, he was WAY behind in his homework….and we got wind of it.  And being the mean old parents that we are, we told him he wasn’t going to play in the game Friday night unless he had it all caught up.  And the chances of that happening were slim to none.

Well, that Tuesday night we heard a knock at the door.  It was David Remick.  That should have been my first clue that something was up.  David Remick never knocked on our door…he just came right in. And he usually went straight to the refrigerator.  Actually, I take that back, he would give you a big, monster Remick hug… and THEN he would go to the refrigerator.  I asked David to come in and he said “No sir, I’d like to speak to your son out here on the porch.”  Right then, I could tell there was something different about this visit.   You see, this wasn’t a visit from David Remick “the friend”.  This was an official visit from David Remick the “Team Captain.” 

So, I went and found my David and told him he had a visitor.  I closed the door behind him as he went out on the porch to talk to Remick.  We knew they would want some privacy.   But then, Teresa and I snuck around to an open window on the porch… because we wanted to hear every word of this.  I mean this was David Remick!!!!  So you knew this was going to be good.  It was a pretty short conversation.  It went something like this. “Hey Sharp, our team needs you Friday night.  I need you Friday night.  I’m not sure we can win this game without you.  So you need to get your butt back up to your room and get your homework done…so you can help your team Friday night.  He paused….and then he said “You got that?”.   “Yeah, I got it” was the response.  And then David Remick turned around and walked away.  My son came back in and went up to his room.  I think he did more homework those next three days than he’d done the past 3 years.

Well, let’s fast forward to the end of the story.  That Friday night’s game was against First Assembly….a big rivalry.  There was about 10 seconds left on the clock and Southlake was up 10-9.  First Assembly had made their way down to the 5 yard line.  Everybody on the Southlake side of the field was pretty distraught as First Assembly lined-up for an easy field goal to seal the win.  Well, the kick gets blocked and all the Southlake players and fans start jumping up and down in excitement…game over…right?  Wrong.  There’s still a live ball on the field.   A First Assembly player picks up the ball and is headed for the end zone.  But he got tackled on the 1 yard line.  He got tackled by the player that David Remick had led and inspired to be on the field that night.

That tackle went down on the stat sheet as a solo tackle for #47.  But those of us who knew the whole story knew that was no solo tackle.  #51, David Remick, was in on that last tackle that night…just like he was in on most tackles every game.  David Remick’s leadership and his friendship changed the outcome of that game.  Just like his leadership and friendship has changed the outcome of many of our lives here today.  But, does it really matter…almost 10 years later who won that game that night?  No, of course not.  But the lesson that David Remick taught a number of us that day does matter.  He taught us that true leadership, and true friendship, is first and foremost about showing-up.  And when you show up as a leader, you better be ready to tell people what they need to hear…which is not always what they want to hear.  That lesson mattered then.  And it still matters to us today.

Hey Mark, loving the David stories.  The one from Mr. Nerness and Annie’s mom were precious.

Good Evening Mr and Mrs Remick.

Each Monday you knew who the rugby players were because they would leave their sixth period classes with their gym bags and black eyes, beginning the long often foreboding walk to the rugby shed on hospital point.  I remember thinking Dave was a crazy man because as many of us walked over the bridge to the pitch, it would be a common occurrence to see Dave jogging by us, in working uniform, yelling that he would rather get the punishment started than take his time worrying about it.  I didn’t realize it then but the hard working, jovial in the face of pain attitude that I saw on days like that really characterize what Remick would eventually epitomize as an officer and Marine. Through some hard won victories on the rugby field, and some near disasters in chemistry class, we were able to make it by our plebe year and choose History as a common major.  I believe that I learned more about him as an intellectual through our arguments on the way back from class than I ever could in any other context.  We took a few civil war classes together and when I thought it was a good idea to pick a fight Dave made sure I knew what I was in for.  Dave fervently loves the south. I am from the north. If you ever wanted to rile him up, I know the topic. He is the only one that I have ever gotten into a wrestling match with over an intellectual subject.  I will always remember the way that his eyes would light up when he thinks he has you cornered in an argument. We took physics together, sat in the back and probably only passed because we lifted weights with the teacher (an avid power lifter) after school.  Dave used to work so hard that the blood vessles in his eyes would pop and he would walk back to Bancroft looking like some sort of zombie. Dave and I were able to take the history of modern counterinsurgency together, in which we were borderline kicked out of class on numerous occasions for arguing well beyond the scope of our class’ conversation.  Needless to say they sponsored our independent study senior year, “The History of American Counterinsurgency”.  Almost every night senior year Rem, Jess Maxwell and I would sit in front of a computer for some length of time arguing whether or not the concept even existed.  I don’t know where he got it from but Dave had an amazing ability to think big picture. At tbs I remember the day that he selected the infantry MOS.  I didn’t hear from Dave that he had achieved his long sought out goal.  I heard from the large amount of people who came up to me saying, “Hey! Did you hear Remick got infantry!”  Every one knew that he was made for the job and my heart broke when he told me that he hurt his knee in IOC. We talked often while he was on deployment and of course he made it seem like there was nothing going on.  He talked more about his brothers and “fire man john” than anything else.  We talked about Pat.  We made some plans to go duck hunting and talked about what trucks to buy.  I had no idea that he had been in constant contact with the enemy just barely that he was even going on patrols. That’s who Dave is to me.  He was the guy who would pick up the heaviest stuff, walk the furthest, not say a word but have a smile on his face and make you want to do the same. I believe that the truest form of friendship exists between those who have a sense for the finite nature of life.

     David was a very inquisitive student and always wanted to learn. He was one of the few students that would buy the books I presented in class and actually read them. He never let his education get in the way of being educated. This approach stayed with David after he graduated from SouthLake. I remember talking to him after he had left SouthLake; most of the time they were rushed conversations, because of our schedules, about politics, religion, and military strategy. Every time we carried on a conversation they were interesting and delightful and was impressed with how well David reflected on these subjects and how much I would learn from him. I have had a number of students leave SouthLake that became my teacher and David was one of them.

        David had as much heart as any wrestler I have ever coached and would do anything you asked him without grumbling or complaining and faithfully expressed our goal of having an attitude of gratitude. I once watched David participate in a tournament with a haircut given to him by a few of his fellow wrestlers (Stevermer & Stone, I believe), that made him look like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber, but this did not affect his heart and desire to win; even if he lost because he defaulted out by means of too many illegal moves even after having a lead of 13-5. I remember David at the Granby school of wrestling (referred to by the wrestlers by the German word “holle”, it was composed of 6-8 hours of training a day with no air conditioning in the middle of the summer ) reacting to my proposal that we fit another training session in before the night session. I explained that this had been arranged by me with the camp director (former University of Iowa wrestler, Steve Martin, not the comedian, in fact quite the opposite) for purpose of training SouthLake wrestlers alone. This was all fabricated by me in order to see how the wrestlers would react to this rather unpleasant proposal. I received some dumbfounded looks and a few moans of disapproval from some of the wrestlers but not from David. He rose to the occasion, and uttered “I have one pair of clean underwear left, let’s do this” and then he turned around to change his clothes for the session.  I suspect this utterance came from a mixture of fortitude, courage, obedience, and delirium derived from the smell of his room which was accompanied by Seth Stone and Justin Stevermer.  He passed the test with flying colors.

“ A WALK IN THE PARK “

This story took place when Annie was 16 and David was 17.  They had recently started dating and I wanted to get to know David and know how he could assure me that their relationship would be as strong a Christian bond as God intended.  I don’t remember what the situation was but I remember that my first impression was that David had Annie’s back. So I arranged for David to meet with me after school one day.  I wanted to put him at ease, so I asked Annie what I could bring to him that he would like.  She told me to bring him a vanilla ice cream cone…and that’s what I did.   He ate the ice cream while we drove to Jetton Park and made polite conversation.

When we got to the park I told him that I had already talked to Annie about how she was going to proceed with their relationship but I wanted to know what he had been doing to determine how he would move forward with her.  He told me that when he was young, he always got on his knees to pray and said that he had returned to that practice during the past months.  He continued to tell me how he felt about Annie and that although he wasn’t perfect, he very much wanted to make their relationship one that we all would be proud of. And, true to form, he continued to talk,  explain himself and ask me questions for 4 laps around the park path, which equated to 6 miles!  I had never done that many laps there before.  I got to know David’s exceptional character that day, and I was happy my daughter had chosen such a caring and Godly young man. When I finally said that I could not walk any longer, I drove him home.  Kathy was in the driveway when we got there…and I am sure that she wondered why Annie’s Mom was bringing David home!  David gave me a big hug and got out of the car. To this day I remember our conversation when I think of him and I am very thankful for the influence he had in Annie’s life.

Mr. Remick,

 

I had a class with Dave 1/C year as well, and I was super excited when we both got selected for the Marine Corps. I knew Dave wanted to be an Infantry Officer, and I wanted him to be one too because I knew that he would be one of the best. When I found out we would be in the same platoon at TBS, I was very excited. Our time together at Leatherneck was special and I was looking forward to spending some more time with Dave out in the field, “embracing the suck” as Marines so often call it. To no one’s surprise, Dave did amazingly well at TBS. He was born to lead Marines, and he demonstrated that daily at TBS.