David Bernstein

West Point, 2001

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Will Fulton on August 13, 2004:

As a year approaches since Dave's death I think of him every time I crawl back into the crewstation of my helicopter. He is truely my day to day inspiration as I train back at Fort Campbell to assuredly return back to the desert within the next year. That October night I was stationed in Kirkuk at the same base as Dave. Our Apache company was often called out on quick reaction type of missions to aid any ground units in the area. That October night my team of 2 apaches were called out to aid once again. This time our reaction was not quick enough to aid Dave and his soldier's from the immediate ambush they faced. Enroute to the location we were recieving updates and we were able to secure the area for MediVac to fly in. Not until the next day did I hear that it was Dave on the ground. It really took the wind out of my sails to know that such a great and well-rounded individual was gone. After meeting many of the 173rd infantry guys it showed that Dave really made an outstanding impression on everyone he met. I was fortunate enough to meet him through Ben Iverson during my cow year. I always admired Dave's forthright attitude and great sense of humor (very dry - but always funny). His unit held an outstanding memorial service at the "clam shell" in Kirkuk. I saw a few of our classmates and we all sat together during the service. Dave truely made an impact on anyone he came into contact with. He will always serve as my inspiration to hone my skills as an attack army aviator.

admin