I was shocked by the news that my best friend in the US Navy, a fellow Naval Officer, died of a Heart Attack on 29 March 2017. For those of us who knew Eric, the news was unexpected and hard to receive because he had so much life in him and so much more to live. I thought to dedicate my first video on Premiere to him but he deserves better. I want Eric to be remembered.

Eric was a funny and tall African American who was a big nerd with a lot of passions. He loved racing Cars, flying Airplanes, and traveling Overseas for leisure or in Service of his Country. I remember after basic training when I first met him we were talking about cars, then Initial D, and Gran Turismo and felt at that time we had a few things in common. A little later, as I got to know him better, I found out he studied Aerospace Engineering and I am also an Engineer by training, we talked about girls, life, and a whole lot of other things. We quickly became very good friends.

Eric came into the US Navy as a Commercial Airline pilot and due to some strange tree nut allergies, this precluded him from flying so he designated as a Supply Corps Officer. After he changed over he wanted to take the most challenging assignment and go on Submarines but as luck would have it those tree nuts got in the way of that as well. He had orders to go to an Aircraft Carrier but gave those up so that another classmate could take that assignment as he took on a Minesweeper which was the armpit assignment but he did it because it was hard not because it was easy. He worked long hours staying up for days at times without sleep to prepare the ship for inspections and to get it ready to go underway. I met up with Eric a couple of times when I was stationed in Japan, toured his wooden Minesweeper, and had a few drinks and plates of Sushi with him. That was the last time I saw him in person and rest of our conversations were on Facebook.

I transitioned out of the Military and the world of Corporate America is as confusing as it is murky. Eric would always lend an ear to hear about what I was up to and which jobs I applied for and companies I tried to get into. All the while he was telling me about the love of his life, his engagement, and plans for getting an MBA at Harvard and in a couple of decades becoming one of the top executives in the Airline industry. I was looking forward to a couple of drinks and plates of sushi in a few years or decades to laugh about the stuff we did in our 20s and 30s. Life happens unexpected sometimes when you least expect it.

Instead of feeling miserable, mad, or sad I elect to be productive. Marcus Luttrell said it best when he spoke about Navy SEAL, “It’s not that we are better than everybody else… it’s just that you have to kill us before we stop getting up and coming after you.” America is a great nation not due to our differences like age, gender, year, make, and model but because of how we stand together United as One. A leader with a clear mind is very powerful because he can tune out the noise during hard times, make hard decisions, and keep moving the team forward to win. I choose to Honor the memory of a Fallen brother in the only way possible because I can’t catch a plane ride over to Japan to attend his funeral or give his Eulogy.

We have a tradition in the Military of the Three Shot Volley during military burials. The Three Shot Volley was done in the past to signify to both sides of the Battle that the dead has been cleared from the Battle field. I propose to do this via a three-part video series with the First being about America, the Navy, and Cars, Second being exclusively about Airplanes and Space travel, and the Third a picture collage of my buddy with background music of Taps in remembrance of the life he had lived. I’m here to ask for your assistance in any way possible in the creation of these videos so that he can be best remember Forever.

We bear the burden of life and carry forward with us the memories, hopes, and dreams of the fallen Brothers in Arms as we forge new futures and beginnings. For I am the speaker of the dead, torch bearer of the fallen, and my brother's keeper.

I want Eric to be remembered as an American Naval Officer who served his Country, loved cars and airplanes, and was a great Brother in Arms, friend, and Son.

First Adobe Premiere Video:
http://goo.gl/MBOVql

Anyone willing to lend a hand to help me Honor the memories of my friend can PM me for further discussion. Thanks in advance for your support.