Fort's Cancer Sux!!

Patriot Day
September 11, 2006
David P. Leary

Dave & I at OU Rugby Alumni Weekend - Spring 2005

Im dedicating this post to my friend David P. Leary, an old rugby buddy from Ohio U. and a native New Yorker who, on 9-11 was on the subway on his way to work as a corrections officer. As I remember the story, it was in the days after 9-11, when movements to Afghanistan were starting up that Dave was sitting in the subway, giving the once over to the other passengers. “Too young to fight, too old, too sick…” he thought to himself. He basically qualified himself as the only person on the train at that moment that was physically & mentally able to join the ranks and he did just that. He walked off the train and directly to the Army’s recruiting office to offer his services to our county.

It doesn’t matter how I or anyone else feels about how our country is handling things abroad. We may not agree on why or where we’ve decided to fight, but what we can all agree on, is that there are some great men out there who cared enough about their friends, family, and fellow countrymen to literally DROP EVERYTHING, and walk away from the easy life they’ve come to know to do what they could to avenge the 9-11 attackers. That’s why Dave enlisted and I admire him for it.

He’s now in Iraq & we haven’t heard from him in a long time. He does have an email address that he can only check infrequently, and he is always vague about his whereabouts. Vague….meaning…he can only say he’s in Iraq!

Send a positive thought or a prayer Dave’s way today. Also think about his new wife he left behind when he went to Iraq. Hopefully she’s doing well & we cant wait to meet her at the next alumni weekend at OU!