I was friends with Tom through our early school years at Glenwood Middle. We drifted apart in high school but I wasn't surprised when he enlisted in the Armed Forces. Tom was a good kid who always followed the rules. Once in a while I could get him to smile but most of the time he was always so serious and and quite an impeccable dresser. He didn't have long hair like most of us kids and he was also very well mannered. I swear he would've worn a shirt and tie everyday to school if he knew the other kids his own age wouldn't laugh behind his back or worse yet to his face. He was a good marksman. patriotic and destined to have a career in some way serving the public interest. He could've easily settled for a desk job in the military but he purposely sought out the difficult missions nobody else wanted. Even as a kid he was never someone who simply went along with the crowd. I guess you could say that kind of independence as a kid helps to create an adult who's not only brave but even self sacrificing. That's how he lived his life and that's how he died. That's not a bad legacy to leave behind from somebody who tragically died so young.
Dean Bernard
Dean Bernard
Dean Bernard
https://marines.togetherweserved.com/usmc/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=275047Dean Bernard
I was friends with Tom through our early school years at Glenwood Middle. We drifted apart in high school but I wasn't surprised when he enlisted in the Armed Forces. Tom was a good kid who always followed the rules. Once in a while I could get him to smile but most of the time he was always so serious and and quite an impeccable dresser. He didn't have long hair like most of us kids and he was also very well mannered. I swear he would've worn a shirt and tie everyday to school if he knew the other kids his own age wouldn't laugh behind his back or worse yet to his face. He was a good marksman. patriotic and destined to have a career in some way serving the public interest. He could've easily settled for a desk job in the military but he purposely sought out the difficult missions nobody else wanted. Even as a kid he was never someone who simply went along with the crowd. I guess you could say that kind of independence as a kid helps to create an adult who's not only brave but even self sacrificing. That's how he lived his life and that's how he died. That's not a bad legacy to leave behind from somebody who tragically died so young.