RIP Luke! I Love You Bro!

Normally I am a calm, cool and collected person but sorry guys that won't happen in this post. Last week I was talking about tomorrow not being promised. Well never in a million years did I guess I would lose a friend so quickly. I am an emotional wreck right now. That never happens to me. I normally keep it in. Right now I am sitting hoping that this is all a cruel joke. Luke (GT)cant be gone!

When I go to sleep I always have my phone on loud so I will not miss any phone call or text. Well Saturday night I decided I was going to put it on silent because I had not been sleeping good! I woke up Sunday and had 13 missed calls, 12 voice-mails, 22 text messages and countless Facebook Messages. When I saw this I thought to myself that this better be damn important. Then I heard the dreaded words on the voice-mail. “Kory call me GT passed away”. I sat there for 5 minutes replaying it. There is no way this happened. I was just talking to him on Wednesday before he went on leave. As a matter of fact he just posted a picture on Facebook. I went to go look at his page and it was filled with RIP Luke from his family. That’s when it hit me, I lost a member of my Navy family. I froze. This can't be happening. Not Luke he is what a friend should be!

From the moment we saw GT's orders to the ship we knew he was going to be something else. No one knew how to pronounce his last name! Then when he showed up to the ship on that cold December day! I was standing topside rover and I look down and I see someone where a full suit. I could only think who the hell is that??? When I got off watch I went to go find out. When I stepped on the Quarterdeck (actually I didnt even make it out the door) he came up to me and said “Hi my name is Luke!” I welcomed him on board and asked him why he was wearing a suit and he said he just like to Suit Up! I knew from that point forward it was going to be nothing normal about him. The next morning he showed up to Quarters with the shiniest boots and was standing at parade rest. It took him a couple weeks to get him to stop doing that. He had the most military bearing on the ship. Over the next couple weeks he slowly came out of his shell and showed us who he was. The most caring and compassionate person.

Eventually I got to transfer up to his Division and well that’s when he really became a part of my family!We had to share a desk for the first couple weeks because there weren’t enough. He made sure that I was trained and would not leave until I knew what I was doing. If I had any issues he was there to help. If he couldn’t do it, he found someone who could! Luke would wake up at any time of the night (although he didnt sleep much) if you need something! He really was a great friend!

Another side of Luke was he liked to push every boundary know to man. During Holiday Standdown of 2012 he decided to read the regulations on hair styles in the Navy. He showed up the next day with highlights in his hair. I couldn’t stop laughing because I knew Chief Winslow was not going to be happy with this choice. When Chief walked into the shop and saw GT he just put his hand over his mouth and just shook his head. GT pulled out the regs and showed Chief. He still had to go change his hair!

Being out in public with him was always a trip. I don’t think he knew how to dress down! He was always wearing a fancy shirt and suspenders or bow tie. Going to our local hang out “The Dutch” was always fun. He liked to try spicy food so he accepted the challenge of eating the spiciest pasta with a lot of peppers. He cried but he did it! Simple moments like these make him awesome!

My last moment on the ship with him was standing a Quarterdeck watch with him. Without fail he made me laugh the whole time. He didnt care what he said over the loudspeaker. He didnt rehearse anything! Well he accidentally said the word Shit! OPS came running out the door so fast to chew him out! Luke played it off like OPS was hearing things and that nothing was said. He was so confused and walked away not yelling at him! It was priceless!

Just typing up these few moments has made me smile and cry! Luke was a genuine person and he will be deeply missed by all of the Mount Whitney crew. All I want to know is why did he have to be taken so young. He had so much more to give to the world. I know god has a plan for him but I just don't understand it! I sat in bed last night crying! Thankfully I had the rest of my Navy family messaging me and calling me so we can get through this together. We are all hurt! Its also good to see all the photos and memories posted all over social media. He touched so many people. My prayers do go out for his family. I can only imagine what they are going through after losing a son so young!

Thank you everyone for listening to me as a babble on during my emotional wreck! When you go to sleep say a prayer for everyone you love. That they stay safe! Remember tomorrow is not promised so take nothing for granted!

RIP Luke!  I love you and will miss you!