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We can’t take away your loss and many
of us can’t comprehend what you have been through the last few weeks. What we
all know, and what these Marines have expressed today is that Davis was a good
man and he is missed. Death always leaves a mark, especially when the life of a
good Marine, a good man is tragically cut short. Like many of us in this room,
you have asked the question why? Why did a man who was larger than life,
literally and figuratively have to die so young? Why is someone who looked
indestructible not with us today? And this is a question those of us who loved
Davis will ask throughout our lives as we reflect on the past few weeks. I
stand here before you to tell you I have no idea why this happened and we won’t
understand why in our lifetime. So, please don’t get frustrated if you don’t
find a satisfactory answer to why your dad isn’t here anymore. People who mean
well will try and come up with elaborate explanations as to why your dad isn’t
here to play catch with you and see you off to school in a few years. They
don’t know. I don’t know either, so I’m not going to stand here and fill your
head with theories and speculation.
Let’s focus on what we know about death. It leaves a mark
and we can’t take it back. Eventually the grieving is over, even if the hole in
our heart remains, we start to live out the new normal without Davis. Your
dad’s life gives us many clues as to how to life a full and wonderful life. A
few years ago, a Marine General started using a saying to describe the Marines
he led: “No better friend, no worse enemy.” General Mattis was either telling
everyone to be like Davis, or Davis decided to embrace that saying as his
life’s motto.
We train Marines to be feared, and Davis was a scary man. The
first time I met him, I was intimidated. Built like a NFL linebacker, he
recently bench pressed 500 pounds! Our previous CO selected him as his personal
bodyguard just because of his physical presence. And it worked. People
naturally backed away from Davis in his full battle rattle. You didn’t want to
get on his bad side, much less have him as an enemy. But, it wasn’t his
physical presence that set him apart and made him a Marine’s Marine. There are
many people who wear the uniform that can be mean and intimidating and can mold
themselves into a physical presence. What set Davis apart was the way he
embraced the first part of General Mattis’ saying.
No better friend. In the aftermath of his death, I remember
so many people commenting on how Davis was their best friend. It seemed like
that was the line to describe him because he was a good friend to so many
people. He had a smile that would light up the room and really was a teddy
bear, but don’t tell him I called him that. He mentored junior Marines and
Sailors in such a way they didn’t know they were being mentored until they
thought about it. He took my assistant under his wing and helped shape him into
a respected leader and for that I am eternally grateful.
Davis struck the perfect balance between trained warrior and
gentle giant. That is his legacy and if we strive to become Davis in that way,
we honor his life and spread his legacy for generations to come. Because of his
gentle nature, I think its ok for me to quote a song from Broadway in talking
about him. In the show Wicked, there is a song called “For Good” that I think
gets at the legacy Davis leaves not just among the Walking Dead, but across the
Corps. “I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a
reason bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us
most to grow if we let them. It well may be that we will never meet again in
this lifetime so let me say before we part so much of me is made from what I
learned from you. You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart. And now,
whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine by being my
friend... Because I knew you... I have been changed for
good...”
Davis demonstrates
why General Mattis made no better friend the beginning of the saying. That part
of being a Marine is the most important because on days like today we need
friends to support us and get us back into the fight. Davis changed lives for
good. He made people better for a lifetime. Look around, his legacy surrounds
you and they stand ready to help you conquer whatever challenges you face. For
everyone, if we work towards living into his legacy we won’t have time to ask
why he’s gone because we’ll be too busy telling the amazing story of Preston J.
Davis.
Rest easy Preston, we have the watch.
