Soldier re-enlists to fulfill promise to fallen friend

Photo By Sgt. George Welcome | FOB MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq – Spc. David McLean Jr., Company A, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, aims his newly assigned M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon, which once belonged to his friend, Spc. Brian Kubik. Kubik died Aug. 5, days after being struck by small-arms fire during a patrol. McLean re-enlisted to stay in the Army to fulfill a promise he made to Kubik. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. George Welcome, 2nd BCT PAO, 101st Abn. Div.)  

MAHMUDIYAH, IRAQ

09.06.2006

Story by Sgt. George Welcome 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

by Spc. George Welcome
2nd BCT PAO, 101st Abn. Div.

FOB MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq – While battling for the freedom of Iraq during the past 11 months, Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, have become all too familiar with the heartache that comes with the loss of a comrade.

The coping mechanisms Soldiers use to deal with the grief are as varied as the Soldiers themselves. One "First Strike" Soldier made the courageous decision to use the death of his battle buddy as motivation to live a life of purpose and meaning.

Spc. David McLean Jr., Company A, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, re-enlisted in order to fulfill a promise to his friend, Spc. Brian Kubik, of Harker Heights, Texas, who died Aug. 5.

"Me and Kubik were talking about re-enlisting," McLean said of an earlier conversation he had with his friend. "I'm about to have a kid," said McLean, a native of Charlotte, N.C., "and he was telling me how he hates when people have kids but don't take care of them. I told him I was thinking about re-enlisting, and he told me that was the right thing to do, so I can take care of my kid."

When McLean received word that Kubik had been shot on a patrol and was critically injured, he immediately went to his battalion's re-enlistment office and made arrangements to be re-enlisted.

"The day that I heard he got shot, I went straight to the re-enlistment office and told them that I wanted to re-enlist," said McLean. "Just in case he didn't make it, at least I could do that for him and he'd know that I would still take care of my kid and do what I need to do."

The bond between McLean and Kubik is not uncommon among Soldiers. While living and working together in an adverse combat environment tends to have a cohesive effect on members of a unit, these Soldiers got off to a fast friendship back at Fort Campbell.

"We met back in the rear about three or four months before we came to Iraq. We used to hang out together and go everywhere. He was like my brother," said McLean. "I can't forget him – I am getting a tattoo of him once we get back to the rear. I didn't go anywhere without him. On missions, he was always right there with me."

McLean later asked if he could exchange his M-203 rifle for Kubik's M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Initially, his superiors were hesitant about making the change as McLean had expertise with his weapon, but they understood what it meant to him and approved the switch.

The Soldiers of Co. A have come together to help McLean deal with the loss of his friend, and they're certain he will recover.

"I think McLean realized what the Army can do for him in the long run and the betterment of what he has going on," said Sgt.1st Class James Kelley, first sergeant, Co. A. "Kubik's death was unfortunately timed, but I think McLean realizes that the Army is a great place to be, and he'll be successful because he's a great young Soldier. I think his battle buddy's death was added motivation for him to re-enlist."

Kubik's temperament and personality made him quite popular with the Soldiers in his platoon.

"Kubik was the guy that everybody could turn to when they had a problem, and he always had a smile," explained McLean. "He was never sad, rarely mad, and if you had a problem, he would try to cheer you up. He was a cheerful guy."

As the realities of war set in, Soldiers sometimes begin to contemplate their mortality. McLean and Kubik had conversations about what they would expect if either of them were to perish.

"We talked about it a lot, what would happen if one of us was to die," McLean stated. "He told me that he wouldn't want anyone to be sad if he died because he was going to a better place."

• Date Taken: 09.06.2006
• Date Posted: 09.07.2006 10:49
• Story ID: 7657
• Location: MAHMUDIYAH, IQ