Memorial Day

Today is the first Memorial Day without my Dad here.  We are going to go visit his gravesite at Willamette National Cemetery this afternoon. We will be visiting the sites of some other friends and family while we are there. I wrote most of the post below on September 13, 2005, the one year anniversary of David's death.  The numbers are current as of today.  



David Weisenburg, May 2,1978-September 13,2004

A Gentle Warrior

58,209 killed in Vietnam.
294 killed in the Gulf War
4,497 Killed in the Iraq War
20,050 killed in the War in Afghanistan
Somehow we live with these numbers until one of them steps out and becomes something other than a number. One year ago today numbers ceased to mean anything and the cruelty of war became real. One year ago David Weisenburg left this earth,I believe to be with God,unfortunately many of us here would have preferred that he stay here with us.
David was 26 years old and I had known him since he was about 14. He was a kind hearted man who loved for his sisters wedding and got to spend extended time with his family and friends.
David was asked why he had to return to Iraq and his answer was because his troops were counting on him.
My most vibrant memory of David was during an open house for high school kids at our house. David was either a junior or senior and we were all sitting and playing cards. David was caught cheating,pretty obviously and we all laughed about it,including David. He threw back his head and laughed loudly,while laughing he hit his head on a shelf behind him,which set off another round of laughing and he hit his head again. David laughed the loudest.