Tyler Edward Parten

West Point, 2007

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by 1LT Dan Fisher on September 15, 2009:

Tyler Parten was the type of guy that no matter the situation, he was going to make it better in some way. Either by making you laugh with some ridiculous story of his or by singing you a song with his guitar. I knew Tyler very well since we were both Arabic majors and spent four months together in Morocco. I am proud to call him one of my best friends. I have so many happy memories of Tyler that I could probably write several pages, but the memory I enjoy the most is of Tyler and I in Chefchouen. It's a really small town in Morocco nestled in the Rif Mountains. Tyler and I were just walking around the city one day and he spotted a mountain top off in the distance. He looked at it for about 5 seconds and turned to me and said "Let's climb it." I looked back at him and said something to the effect of, "You're crazy." He talked me into it of course using his unrivaled charisma. It took us about 2-3 hours to get to the top and by the time we did it was completely dark. The rest of our friends were already eating dinner at a hotel several hundred feet below, so we called them and told them to look out the window towards the mountain. Tyler flicked on his lighter which they could faintly make out in the darkness. I remember tripping over rocks and falling a couple times during the descent, but it was one of the coolest things I did in Morocco. Another memory I wish to share is the time Tyler talked me into attending the Petroushka Ball in NYC at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Our Arabic Professor had tickets and Tyler thought it would be fun. I am definitely not the dancing type, especially not at a Russian Ball, but after having one or two drinks, Tyler and I were dancing the night away in our full dress uniforms with people we barely knew. We were too cheap to stay at the hotel so we wound up sleeping in his car with the heat on all night. The next morning, Tyler and I drove to Columbia University where he of course knew people, despite being from Arkansas, and we wound up going out that night to a bar or two and having a blast. Tyler, everyone you touched in life was better for it. I know you are in Heaven now enjoying your just rewards, and I look forward to the day when you can give me the tour because I have no doubt by that time you will have explored all there is to see and do.

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