VIEW ALL PHOTOS (7)
HONORED ON PANEL 9E, LINE 71 OF THE WALL
DAVID PAUL SPEARS
WALL NAME
DAVID P SPEARS
PANEL / LINE
9E/71
DATE OF BIRTH
CASUALTY PROVINCE
DATE OF CASUALTY
HOME OF RECORD
COUNTY OF RECORD
STATE
BRANCH OF SERVICE
RANK
ASSOCIATED ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL
REMEMBRANCES
LEFT FOR DAVID PAUL SPEARS
POSTED ON 5.12.2003
POSTED BY: Sp.5 medic Pablo (chico) Gallegos
37 years later
For the past 37yrs. I've thought of ssgt. Spears. On May 2 2003. I was looking for run for the wall.org. and I got the Virtual wall,where I found his name and the name of his daughter Karen and phone number. I called her on the 3rd. That was a moment I believe neither one of us will forget.It took 37yrs. for me to talk to Karen and let her know I had to identify her DAD. He was and will always be a Great Man in our HEARTS.
POSTED ON 5.27.2001
POSTED BY: David R. Sanchez
You can only choose how you die.
Dear Karen,
I lost a good friend in Vietnam. He was 20 years old, full of life and goodness and never had the chance to have a family. I am sorry for your pain. Your father's death is remembered by those who also lost a loved one and your task is to live life as fully as you can, loving those closest to you as best you can. Your father left you as his legacy. My friend left only his friends.
Throughout human history, the price of war has been bourne by the young men and women who were at the point of conflict. Politicians like Clinton and bureaucrats like McNamara and generals like Westmoreland profit from others' sacrifices. I can assure you that Bill Clinton when he looks in the mirror has no smile in his eyes. His life has been a chronicle of evasion from duty, honor and the truth and as the glory fades, this reality will grow in his heart. As for the McNamara's and the Westmoreland's of the world, they got off much easier with limitied self-reflection, I'm afraid.
Your father died a hero, died for his friends and family. Your father could look himself in the mirror without flinching.
We honor your father and the men he sought to protect with his life and courage.
I lost a good friend in Vietnam. He was 20 years old, full of life and goodness and never had the chance to have a family. I am sorry for your pain. Your father's death is remembered by those who also lost a loved one and your task is to live life as fully as you can, loving those closest to you as best you can. Your father left you as his legacy. My friend left only his friends.
Throughout human history, the price of war has been bourne by the young men and women who were at the point of conflict. Politicians like Clinton and bureaucrats like McNamara and generals like Westmoreland profit from others' sacrifices. I can assure you that Bill Clinton when he looks in the mirror has no smile in his eyes. His life has been a chronicle of evasion from duty, honor and the truth and as the glory fades, this reality will grow in his heart. As for the McNamara's and the Westmoreland's of the world, they got off much easier with limitied self-reflection, I'm afraid.
Your father died a hero, died for his friends and family. Your father could look himself in the mirror without flinching.
We honor your father and the men he sought to protect with his life and courage.