Last October, when David Elder was a freshman at Wharton High and a member of the schoolโs National Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (NJROTC) program, he was participating in one of his first drill meets at Central High School in Brooksville, called the Iron Bear Challenge.
It was early and still wet outside, and Elder, as his friends in Whartonโs NJROTC call him, was participating in the tire flip event. David was a little too close to another teamโs tire and when he slipped, the huge tractor tire struck his leg just below the knee and slid down to the ankle, breaking both bones in his leg.
โIt was loud,โ recalls Senior Chief Petty Officer (Ret.) David Ingalls, who is retired from the U.S. Navy and one of Davidโs instructors. โWe knew it was a pretty bad break.โ
With his leg broken in two places, he should have been in a lot of pain. But, Elder somehow was making everyone else laugh, acting like a hero being carried off on the stretcher. As they closed the doors to the ambulance, he was waving to everyone and โdabbing.โ
โThatโs when we really saw his personality,โ says Ingalls. โDavid just had a lot of charisma.โ
When students arrived at Wharton for the first day of school this year, Elderโs friends were told that he had passed away.
Just the day before, Elder, Connor Hale and a bunch of their friends helped lead freshman orientation at Wharton High for new students entering NJROTC.
After, the cadets went to the movies. The theater was empty, except for them, so whenever a song played between dialogue, David and Connor would put on sunglasses, jump up, and โdance like spazzes,โ says Connor. That was typical of the kid he calls Elder, who โcould make anyone laugh or smile.โ
David Elderโs dad says those kids were part of what David loved best, the NJROTC program. As a freshman last school year, he jumped into every activity offered.
โHe excelled above and beyond anything I expected,โ says Jim Elder. โHe was on the rifle team, drill team, color guard, everything. He did great at everything he tried.โ
David even enjoyed uniform inspections, something many cadets dread. โHeโd have me come out and inspect his uniform for lint and check his brass. I showed him how to shine his shoes. He was very methodical about proper appearance with his uniform.โ
A week later, more than three dozen cadets from Wharton and other area schools, who had met Elder at NJROTC events, attended his memorial service.
โHe was enthusiastic about being a young leader and had a lot of potential,โ says Major Michael Beale, who is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, and was another of Davidโs instructors. โFor a young kid to impact so many people, you know he has unique character traits. People wanted to be around him, and he touched so many lives.โ
โHe was a model cadet,โ adds Ingalls.
Jim says his son had aspirations to join the military. He was interested in aviation, but since he wore glasses, he knew that was a long shot. He also loved the water, and really loved sailing. NJROTC gave him the opportunity to attend Sail Academy, a training academy hosted by Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.
โHeโs named after my dad, who is a retired U.S. Army paratrooper,โ says Jim, who also served in the military. โDavid just thought his grandpa was the greatest thing walking on two feet. He always liked to hear Grandpa Dave stories.โ
David grew up in Pinellas County, where his mom still lives. He had been living with his dad and last summer, after outgrowing the Civil Air Patrol program for middle school students, the pair decided to move to Tampa to find a high school with a good NJROTC program.
โI wanted him to be exposed to more things and set him up for success in the future.โ
Jim says Wharton, โjust kind of worked out at the time,โ and that he couldnโt have been any happier with their choice.
โIโm thrilled because the instructors there do amazing things for the kids,โ he says. โThey are top notch and I canโt say enough good things. They are solid, good people there.โ
While NJROTC was Davidโs โmain thing,โ says Jim, โhe was a really well-rounded kid.โ
David was a huge history buff who was particularly into World War II. He collected vintage firearms and military uniforms, and even taught himself some German, using Google Translate.
โWeโd be at the gun shop and heโd give the guy behind the counter a quick history lesson,โ Jim recalls. They enjoyed shooting together, too, he says. โWe would go shooting all the time. He shot better than I did, which drove me crazy.โ
Connor says he already misses the kid he considered one of his best friends. โThis is my first time experiencing something like this,โ he says. โItโs tough. I already miss his good nature. He was just such a good guy to be around.โ
When he recalls his many fun times with David, he calls those times โshenanigans. He was a goofball and we would just laugh at everything dumb,โ Connor says, like watching YouTube videos or repeating a phrase endlessly to drive other people crazy. โThereโs a lot of stuff I thought weโd (still) do together, like going back to Sail Academy and doing (the American Cancer Societyโs New Tampa) Relay for Lifeโ again.
Jim says he and his son had a special relationship, especially since just the two of them lived together. โWe called each other โbro,โ and I would tell him, โYouโre my best bro.โโ
Jim has met with Hailey Aciernoโs parents, who started the foundation called Haileyโs Voice of Hope. โWeโre going to try to collaborate and work together so that for her daughter and my son, neither of their names are forgotten,โ he says. โWe want to get the word out about suicide prevention so no other kid or parent has to go through this.โ