A Cry for the Fallen

We all lost a very special person on Sunday, March 5. Craig Brooks, a friend from college, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He would have commissioned into the US Air Force in May.

Craig worked hard, and he played hard. I didn't know Craig as well as I should have (as he always tried to go out of his way to know me,) but I definitely saw the side of him that worked hard. We had shared several ROTC classes and we had been in two flights together. He was never satisfied with half-measures when we worked on projects as a group. He never tried to "fly under the radar" in the cadet corps. He was always taking the lead out front, going the extra mile and mentoring the new cadets. His motivation was apparent and infectious. Without him, the "Kilo Killaz" of Fall 2002 wouldn't have been the best flight of the semester.

It's always tough when a light as bright as Craig's, filled with so much potential and zeal, gets snuffed out in its prime. We will never find anything if we try to search for sense in the senseless. We will find Craig's light if we remember him for who he was, and if we keep his zeal in our hearts every day for the rest of our lives.

Godspeed, friend. Until we meet again someday, we will keep the flame burning.