I love that we celebrate Memorial Day, that our society takes a day to acknowledge the sacrifices of others and creates space to share their memories. In the years since I joined the military, I learned that there are many pros and cons to service - some I knew in advance, others I learned along the way. By far the best gift was the privilege to serve alongside heroes - to have borne witness to their service and character. I carry the names of those men every day; one in particular I am reflecting on today. Scott Koppenhafer was one of the best Raiders, Marines, and humans I ever met. I met Scott as an 18 y/o private when he was a seasoned Sergeant. Scott was one of those rare breeds who graduated college and still chose to enlist in the Marine Corps. He was fiercely competitive and would get every minute of productivity he could out of every day. As a teammate he was demanding, unflinching in his convictions, and held everyone to exacting standards. I spent years with Scott. We attended selection together, then ITC to become Raiders. We went through some of the toughest training and were pushed passed our physical limits. Scott was short and stocky, a wrestler in high school and college, which left him with cauliflower ears. He was a stud in physical training, always finishing at the top of the pack in the day’s challenge. Despite being the best prepared to take a hit, he never had a tough guy persona and often used self-deprecating humor with a laugh that sounded more like a giggle. One of my lasting memories was as a private in a moment of intense inferiority surrounded by NCOs. Scott came and shook my hand after I was selected for MARSOC and told me he was glad I made it. Later, we spent 12 months together in language school and eventually deployed to Afghanistan. Scott was the kind of guy who, after spending hours in a classroom learning a foreign language would review flashcards about combat tactics on our breaks. He was the epitome of a warrior; someone who exemplified what it meant to be a quiet professional, who treated our occupation more as a life’s calling. He was the best of us and someone you took great comfort in being by your side - he stood out as “the one who would bring the others back.” Scott went on to do many heroic things on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. In August of 2019 on his 6th deployment, Scott was killed in Iraq while conducting a mission against ISIS. He left behind a wife and two children. His ashes were scattered by his closest family, friends, and teammates in the Rocky Mountains of the ranch he grew up on. I keep a note on my desk that asks, “What would Koppenhafer be doing right now?” It reminds me to keep a tireless work ethic, the competitive drive to be the best, and to serve others before myself. Scott’s story is among the best examples I have witnessed of what it means to serve and sacrifice - it continues to inspire me and I hope that, on this Memorial Day, it might inspire you as well.
You were always a real one, through and through Peter James Kiernan. If you say Scott was exemplary then I hold this man in high regard, no questions asked. I’m hanging out in Jamaica right now but I’m going to buy a round of shots for the Americans down here and will share this story so we can cheers to Scott.
Thanks for sharing this memory of your friend.
Thank you for sharing this story.
Got chills reading this. Thank you.
I appreciate you, Sir.
Well said Peter, Amen to that!
Semper Fi !
Chief Client Officer – Fisher Funds Management Ltd
2moThanks mate for sharing this. It really made me pause and think of the sacrafices so many woman and men make each and every single day, so that we can live in a safe and peaceful community.