David Fraser remembered

This is an edited version of a eulogy written from Afghanistan by 1st Lt. Seth Chappell, a friend and West Point classmate.

I MET Dave Fraser during my plebe year at West Point, when we were both struggling to make our way on the Army Distance Running Team. Hailing from Houston, Dave liked NASCAR, country music, fishing, big trucks, mountain biking and playing his guitar. I'm indifferent about fishing, I don't understand big trucks and I hate NASCAR, but we became good friends, supporting each other during those hard training runs through the woods in New York.

In my sophomore year I chose civil engineering as my major, after Dave convinced me it was the way to go. Over the course of four years, we were inseparable, studying, working on engineering projects, running after school, going to church, competing in races, going out on weekends. We could have only spent more time together if we had been roommates.

Even as a freshman at West Point, Dave was his own man, secure in his Christian faith. Dave stood up for what he believed in, refusing to be cowed by the majority. In all the time I knew him, I don't think I ever heard him curse. Committed to excellence in all areas of his life, Dave gave everything he had to everything he did, and everyone who knew him would say the same.

I worked with Dave on every single civil engineering project that West Point threw at us, and we spent countless late nights poring over texts and problems. Dave's keen mind for engineering and unfailing work ethic saw many of our projects through to completion. Engineering never came as easily to me, but Dave was always there to help, patiently explaining the difficult concepts. Students in the CE department knew Dave as the "go-to guy" willing to take the time to help them through the hard parts.

On the track and cross country course, Dave was a fierce competitor, excelling in the metric mile, where he posted times in the 4:10s. Running early in the mornings and every afternoon, despite a grueling academic schedule, Dave was a role model for the younger athletes on the team and always available to help them in their studies or with any problems they had.

On Sunday mornings when other cadets were sleeping in, Dave was up early, sharing God's love with the preschoolers in his Sunday school class. Dave was always busy, always working and always calm. He made it look easy, and he didn't sweat the small stuff.

West Point's civil engineering department recognized his qualities as well, selecting him out of all of the 2004 CE graduates for a guaranteed appointment as an instructor in four to five years' time, should he want it. The department offered him this honor not because he had the highest academic marks in the CE department (he didn't, but he was close), but rather because he represented the whole person that West Point wants its graduates to be, and he would have shaped cadets into outstanding young officers. Dave enriched the lives of those around him, and I cannot imagine my time at West Point without him. I would not trade those four hard years we supported each other for anything.

In our senior year at West Point, Dave got it in his mind to undertake a truly ambitious project: building a bridge and landscaping an area next to the West Point Youth Activities Center. Although I was initially skeptical, Dave convinced me (like always) that we would be fools to pass this opportunity up. This bridge would be our legacy, our gift.

Over the course of the year, we worked on the bridge, and, in truth, Dave did all the heavy lifting. Dave designed a beautiful timber bridge, negotiated with post agencies and contractors, and managed the volunteers who helped us build the site. We unveiled the bridge during graduation week and were both commissioned as officers on it. Today, the bridge stands as a testament to his spirit of service and commitment to excellence.

Dave was a soldier, and an outstanding one. As a cadet, Dave attended the Army's demanding Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Ky., where he set an Army record on the 14-mile Ruck march (Dave ran with his 40-pound pack the whole way, finishing in one hour, 45 minutes), and was the distinguished honor graduate for his class. After graduating from West Point, Dave was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers, going from West Point to the Engineer Officer Basic Course, and then on to Airborne School and Ranger School, both voluntary courses.

After Ranger School, Dave posted to Fort Hood, where he served as a platoon leader with the 4th Infantry Division. Dave deployed to Iraq in December 2005, serving with the 4th ID in Baghdad as a personal security detachment commander for VIPs and as platoon leader for a Route Clearance Package, hunting the roads for roadside bombs to keep his fellow soldiers safe. Dave sent e-mails to his friends and family regularly, and his e-mails show a leader committed to his mission and soldiers, a man who took time on his two weeks of leave from the war zone to visit his soldiers who had been wounded in action.

Capt. David Michael Fraser was killed in action when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle. He had less than a week left in Iraq before he was supposed to come home. Dave was 25 years old when he died, but he accomplished more in his short time on this Earth than most people will in a lifetime. Dave was the kind of guy parents would want their daughters to meet, and the kind of guy their daughters would want to meet as well. Dave was a man of faith who showed God's love, an example to those of us fortunate to know him. Dave was a leader in everything he did, always there to help those around them. Dave was my best friend.

Those of us in harm's way or preparing to go will honor Dave by looking to the example he set in his life: pride in everything he did, a can-do attitude and concern for others before ourselves. We will do everything in our power to take care of our soldiers.

Many of you reading this in the States didn't know Dave. Please take a minute out of your day to honor his service and sacrifice. Pray for his family and soldiers. He died to protect the way of life you enjoy today, facing a reality few Americans will ever know.

From the Houston Chronicle

Related Link:
David M. Fraser killed by I.E.D.