Posted by Ron Humphreys on May 28, 2020:

There are many people that pass through our lives. Some affect us more than others. Brian was one of those people with great affect. Being his roommate at the Academy was a real hoot. We did some pretty crazy stuff. King Tut comes to mind. He was a searcher at the Academy. He knew there was something he lacked and he found what he was looking for in the person of Jesus Christ. Brian became a devout Christian who lived his faith as much as any man I have ever seen. He was leading a Bible study for troops in his unit while they were in the Sinai. It is while coming back from there, in the skies over Gander, Newfoundland, that Brian lost his life, along with the other members of his unit rotating back to the US. It was a tragic and senseless loss. Only God knows the reason. I have sometimes wondered how many of his soldiers went to heaven with him that day because of his Christlike example. I cried when I read his name on the list published in the Stars and Stripes. Brian was a serious, yet crazy guy, who loved his fellow man. When it was time to be Army he was all Army. When it was time to goof off with his friends, none of us were goofier. No one who knew Brian doubted that he was destined for stars. He is sorely missed. The fact that my youngest son, and the sons of several other of his classmates are named Brian Douglas speaks volumes of what his friends thought of him. Be thou at peace, my friend.

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