Fallen Lt. honored three years after death

MOORE, Okla. — A tearful mother read to the crowd a poem just seconds after the dedication of a stretch of Oklahoma State Highway 32 in 1st Lt. David Timothy Wright’s honor.

He died three years ago, to the day, while serving in Afghanistan.

“They were coming out of a village and the Taliban waited for his stricker to line up with a telephone pole and they detonated an 800 pound IED,” mother Michelle Wright said.

David died instantly.

He was forever memorialized with a bench and a tree in Veteran’s Park.

Now, the road just outside the park also bears his name for two miles.

“He was a phenomenal son, solider, ran track at OU and went to OU on a track scholarship, and we just can’t stress enough how important it is that people don’t forget what he gave up so that we can be free today,” Michelle said.

A crowd of friends and supporters who knew David best turned out for the event.

Even the media from his unit came to offer flowers and support.

It was a tough but important ceremony for many.

“You know, it’s bitter-sweet, but he earned it. He earned it,” Michelle said.

David was a 2002 graduate of Moore High School.