Pictured, from left, are Tabatha McDonald, Zimmer Biomet’s corporate social responsibility manager; Gateway Educational Center Principal Dave Bailey; Zimmer Biomet Veterans’ Resource Group Chairman Dale Campbell, and Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO Stephanie Overbey.

Text and Photos
By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Marine Lance Corporal David Fribley, a Warsaw native who was killed in combat in 2003, was recognized during Zimmer Biomet’s annual Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony on Thursday, May 23.

The event was hosted by the Zimmer Biomet Veterans’ Resource Group at the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw.

Fribley’s parents, Gary and Linda Fribley, were unable to attend the ceremony but were recognized for their son’s sacrifice. Gateway Educational Center Principal Dave Bailey, who was friends with Fribley in school, spoke about Fribley and described him as a hard worker.

Fribley grew up in Atwood and graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 1996. During his high school years, he played football and ran track.

“He pushed himself to the limit and would always go further,” said Bailey. “David and his father never saw a challenge they wouldn’t accept. They were made of the same stuff: tough, hardworking, driven. They were great leaders. David was quiet and gentle by nature, but when it came to athletics, he was fierce.”

Marine Lance Corporal David Fribley

Bailey said he first met Fribley in middle school.

“In middle school, you could tell there was something special about David, and the key was that nobody was going to outwork him,” said Bailey. “He was an amazing athlete and person.”

Fribley decided to join the Marine Corps after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was 26 when he was killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 23, 2003.

“The loss of David was unthinkable and crushing to our town, but even in death, he wouldn’t back down from a challenge,” said Bailey. “The leader, the friend, the kindness, the effort, began to inspire others.”

Bailey said there wasn’t any gap in Fribley’s funeral procession, which went from WCHS to a cemetery in Etna Green.

“People showed up and supported him,” said Bailey.

Fribley Field at Richardson-DuBois Park in Warsaw was dedicated in Fribley’s memory in 2004. Bailey also said Warsaw Community Schools established the Fribley Fund, which is used to help students in need.

Zimmer Biomet also presented a $10,000 check to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, with the check being placed in the Lance Corporal David Fribley Memorial Scholarship fund.

Those in attendance at the ceremony included Warsaw Police Department and Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officers and deputies; Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory firefighters; Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose; Zimmer Biomet staff; and local veterans, including Army World War II Veteran Charlie Garner.

WCHS’s Junior Army ROTC detachment posted the colors, and the Fort Wayne Scottish Pipes and Drum Corps played the bagpipes. The Honor Detail, provided by members of the Warsaw Veterans Foreign Wars Post 1126 and the Warsaw American Legion Post 49, performed a three-volley salute to honor the fallen.