David Alan White

West Point, 1964

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Darwin Burda on November 5, 2007:

David was one of my best friends at West Point. As plebe roomates, we navigated the system, both of us staying alert as to how best we could survive. Not only was David a very smart guy, but he was a cool character. When inspections came along, he could have his room transfomed from a disaster to a spoony place in a matter of 10 minutes. I remember well when, after a few weeks in our academic company, David decided the Army was not really his cup of cake. He went off on a Saturday afternoon to submit his resignation. A few hours later, he came back, saying he would probably give it another shot after all. It seems he had been bounced back and forth between the first sergeant to the company CO and then to someone else so many times, he realized this was going to be a difficult thing to do. It seems the cadet cadre would have nothing to do with his idea of resigning. He was too valuable to let go. I never heard Dave talk about it again. Another favorite memory of Dave was when he and an upper classman were having a debate about who" was the ugliest man in the corps". The upperclassman was saying that Dave was trying to usurp his title. David always stood up for me. I fell from the top bunk at the end of September. It happened that I hit the floor head first. After that, I had trouble concentrating and studying. Eventually, I was deficient. I left the Academy, but David kept me informed by letter of what was going on. He was very supportive through the weeks after I was injured. Through the years, I have talked with David by phone a couple of times. It was always fun to catch up with each other. He was a classy individual. I will really miss him. Rest Well, My good friend. Darwin Burda, Wasilla, Alaska

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