Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez

West Point, 2005

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Chris Couch on September 21, 2006:

It has taken me a while to build up the courage to write this. You see I found out late last Saturday night at the bar, watching the Army game, celebrating my last night home before my own deployment. Emotions were already running high. I started shaking and found myself dazed. I somehow knew that everything was not the same. Emily, I remember you so fondly. Much has been said of your ability to be a leader. I say that they miss the point. The reason you were such a leader is because of what a gift you were to the people who were blessed to meet you. I read what your PSG wrote, and he wrote those things because you knew how to treat people with kindness, dignity and respect. These are the things I will remember the most. I will remember how we managed to do the impossible and make Mil Art fun. We joked that we couldn't be separated second semester or we would fail. I looked forward to going to that class every other day with you. I will remember the great times we shared at the Firsty. One of my favorite pictures is the one you sent me of us laughing together there. We were so happy. That's how it always was with you. I will remember how excited I was that we were going to be posted together. And now how heartbroken I am that we will never be. I will remember when I met your parents at graduation, and how happy we were. There are so many memories that I have of us. We are all worse for the memories we will never have with you. I will remember you so fondly as a wonderful friend. The world is a less beautiful and wonderful place without you. But with you lookng down on us I know it will be ok. Thank you for being you, and watch over us with a smile, that same one that when I remembered it, I realized that though things would never be the same, they would get better. So I walked back to the bar, and ordered a round in your name. You know me, what else would I do. Chris

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