Garrison Charles Avery

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Nancy Preston on December 13, 2023:

Gary, I hope for great peace for you and your family every time you come to mind, which is often. Jeff talks about you ALOT and remembers all of the days he knew you, up to the very last one. You were such a quiet, confident person...much different than many of our friends and frenemies at WP. You always wanted to give the most you could...as I witnessed when you left and returned from a self-induced ruck march carrying 80 lbs in the summer. You were so crazy - and determined! One memory that Jeff tells me that still makes me teary is how the Iraqi tribal leaders in your AO reacted when they heard what happened. They were deeply hurt and it was apparent to Jeff, even before that day, how deeply they respected you as a person. They believed in you and how much you cared about their people. They were devastated and felt that they lost you, too. That is profound...to have such a genuinely pure and positive impact on people who, understandably, were skeptical of us (at best), since we were the unknowns in their villages and communities. But you were one of the best of us who gave them peace and hope. It's still difficult, yet uplifting, to read your eulogies, b/c so many ppl loved/love you so much. For Kayla, your family, and others who love you, I hope that it brings you something positive to see that we still think about Gary. I certainly wish more so that he was able to come home to you...to make more memories with you. Despite his absence in your lives, I hope that you have been able to have years of peace, joy, and positivity, which seemed to be Gary's affect on many of us. Be thou at peace... Love, Nancy Preston

admin