I'm so sorry for your family's loss of David. I was a good friend of his on our ship, and it is a true loss for anyone that ever had the privilege to know him. I was his "sponsor" to check into the command and I picked him up outside of the base and checked him onto the ship for the first time. I remember when I met him, I thought, "Who is this goofy looking guy" because he was just standing there with his uniform on, his seabag and a big smile across his face. Immediately upon meeting him and talking with him I knew we were going to be friends because of our similar laid back attitudes and sense of humor. We got along very well because David was always someone you could joke with and he always had a way of being funny and finding the humor in every situation we had, no matter how shitty it was or how pissed off we were about work or any of the stuff that was going on, on the boat. We could always laugh about anything. I always enjoyed his company and he was well liked by all of his peers in the navy. I was a couple ranks higher than him when he checked in so I kind of took him "under my wing" and tried to show him around and give him tips about stuff and how things worked on the boat. I always kept an eye on him to try and help guide him, and he adapted to the boat life quickly, made a lot of friends and learned his job quickly. I knew he was a really smart guy, a lot smarter then what most people thought he was, mainly because of his laid-back attitude and his ability to not care or stress out about stuff that didn't matter. I admired that about him because I think some people took a lot of stuff way too serious and it was refreshing to see someone still be able to stay positive in situations where most people stress and breakdown, he had that resilience to him.
David and I had a lot of good times together, I went golfing with him once in San Diego and he helped give me a few tips on my swing. We drank a lot of beer that day and had a lot of laughs. He was always some one that was fun to be around and some one that you could have a beer with and just laugh. He always brought a good positive energy and vibe to the group. I remember in Thailand, when we were on deployment, we were up late one night and we met a Thai person who was playing the guitar and singing American Cover-songs and we were drinking and dancing in the street to this guy who was trying to play good American music but was way off but none of us cared because we were all just having a good time and just enjoying the night.
I ended up leaving the command after that port to transfer to my next command in southern California, and when I said goodbye to him I told him that we needed to meet up when they got back from deployment and that when we got out of the military we should all go to college together somewhere. I'll never forget the laughs I had with David and all the positive energy he always had to him. I considered him a great friend of mine and I only wish I had got to have more time hanging out with him, he was a hell of a friend and a truly good person. I'm so sorry about this unfortunate loss, it's honestly all I've been able to think about since I heard the news yesterday. I'm at a loss of words to say on the subject, but I hope the best for you and the rest of his family, and I hope that my story of meeting him and the impression that he made on me and all of his friend may help you guys cope in some way. He will be truly missed by all of the friends he made on the Nimitz, I know many people liked him and adored him as a person.
Sincerely,
Trevor Borchardt