Garrison Charles Avery

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Lance Hublick on February 8, 2006:

Wow, this certainly came as a shock to me when I found out last Friday morning while talking to Dave Coulombe. I hate to talk about how Gary died but rather how he lived. When Dave and I were talking about him we couldn't help but laugh at some of the stuff we all used to do. From refusing to comply with the norm by leaving his hair long, trying to kill fire ants (and succeeding) around his trailer at IOBC and then taking his ant killer to the patrol base, those times we went out to dinner with the fellas in the Lincoln Town Car, me borrowing his modified Air Force Jungle boots to do the CWST at IOBC (and no Gary didn't modify them within Army Standards), the sewing machine, all those nights he helped me with homework during our last two years at West Point and then later with OPORDS IOBC, the rather large map in his room at West Point where he planned the latest land nav. torture for SFAS candidates, the improvised ceiling he used to keep the water out of his room during the two Hurricanes at IOBC, and finally sitting by the fence on a 5 minute break during RAP week and talking about how great it was going to be after we got done with Ranger School. I could go on and on. Gary is a friend I will truly miss and miss already. I take comfort in knowing that Gary died doing what he loved to do. There is no doubt in my mind that his dream of being an A-Team Commander would have been quickly realized had he been given the opportunity. In fact, I think it is safe to say that Gary would have been the best Special Forces Officer out of anyone that our class might produce. It is with great regret that I cannot attend his funeral because of a deployment to play OPFOR at NTC. To Gary, I miss you man. I will see you again, but not yet.

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