Luke was only in the Navy for 2 years before he was killed. He signed up because he heard stories of marines joining for the GI bill and getting killed just trying to get the money for college. He felt this unfair. He chose the Navy because his grandfather had regaled him with stories about the subs during WWII. He chose the Navy so he could become a corpsman and go to Iraq to take care of the marines. And that is exactly what he did. He got himself assigned to an EOD team and became one of the best “Docs” they had ever worked with. While over there, he treated more than 80 casualties.
One time after 30 hours of IED patrol where his team disarmed IED’s, Luke went to bed for 15 minutes before there was a mass casualty report. The team leader told him he did not have to go, but he said it was his job. He ended up spending the entire night sitting with and holding the hand of an 8-year old Iraqi boy who had been badly burned. Luke was killed when an IED exploded while he was on his last mission, 2 hours before he was to stand down.
Luke had a tattoo that said “Vis veris ac decus” Latin for “Strength and Honor.” Luke was honest, fair, patriotic, loyal, brave, funny, hard-working, and handsome. I know I sound like the typical proud mother, but in Luke’s case, everyone else who knew him agrees.
Luke had an amazing sense of humor. He could make anyone laugh. It wasn’t the brash, loud type of humor; it was subtle, dry, and intelligent.
Luke loved playing baseball. He started when he was 5 and kept playing until high school. He played mostly catcher, but also a little pitcher, shortstop and third base. He was not very good, but he loved playing. He was a fan of the Cleveland Indians. I’ll never forget 1995 when they were in the World Series. He was only 9 years old, but he watched it with real passion and was devastated when they lost.
Luke loved the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre was his hero. He wore his Favre jersey all the time. He used to argue with his dad over who was the better quarterback: Brett Favre or Bart Starr. One year we took our family vacation to Green Bay. Luke was so excited. When we went to the game, he painted his face with the green and gold. He loved being at Lambeau field.
Luke loved home. Family was important to him, but so was the place. When he was at home, he would spend most of his time sleeping. We spent most of our time trying to motivate him. Getting him up in the morning and getting him to complete his homework were the 2 hardest jobs I had.
Luke graduated from Tallmadge High School in Tallmadge, Ohio in 2004. He was not the best student, but he was well liked by everyone. He won the Charlie award for being most outspoken. Luke was very opinionated. He was a “Raging Liberal.” When he turned 18, the first thing he did was register to vote. He completed one year at the University of Akron, majoring in political science, before joining the Navy. He described that as the proudest day of his life. He was the most tolerant, unprejudiced person I ever knew. Yet, in spite of his liberal views, his best friends were always conservatives. He loved to argue with them.
Luke had a knack for making people feel welcome and at ease, even in Iraq. He could always go up and talk to people. Once he in Iraq, he walked up to a new guy and said, “I see you’re wearing combat boots. So am I.” When he was little, adults thought he was clever and wonderful; kids his own age didn’t always get him.
One time Luke was wearing his sunglasses at 2:00 in the morning. When his friends asked why, he said, “The sun never sets on a bad ass.” This has become our toast for Luke.
Visit Luke Emch's Biography for more information.
One time after 30 hours of IED patrol where his team disarmed IED’s, Luke went to bed for 15 minutes before there was a mass casualty report. The team leader told him he did not have to go, but he said it was his job. He ended up spending the entire night sitting with and holding the hand of an 8-year old Iraqi boy who had been badly burned. Luke was killed when an IED exploded while he was on his last mission, 2 hours before he was to stand down.
Luke had a tattoo that said “Vis veris ac decus” Latin for “Strength and Honor.” Luke was honest, fair, patriotic, loyal, brave, funny, hard-working, and handsome. I know I sound like the typical proud mother, but in Luke’s case, everyone else who knew him agrees.
Luke had an amazing sense of humor. He could make anyone laugh. It wasn’t the brash, loud type of humor; it was subtle, dry, and intelligent.
Luke loved playing baseball. He started when he was 5 and kept playing until high school. He played mostly catcher, but also a little pitcher, shortstop and third base. He was not very good, but he loved playing. He was a fan of the Cleveland Indians. I’ll never forget 1995 when they were in the World Series. He was only 9 years old, but he watched it with real passion and was devastated when they lost.
Luke loved the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre was his hero. He wore his Favre jersey all the time. He used to argue with his dad over who was the better quarterback: Brett Favre or Bart Starr. One year we took our family vacation to Green Bay. Luke was so excited. When we went to the game, he painted his face with the green and gold. He loved being at Lambeau field.
Luke loved home. Family was important to him, but so was the place. When he was at home, he would spend most of his time sleeping. We spent most of our time trying to motivate him. Getting him up in the morning and getting him to complete his homework were the 2 hardest jobs I had.
Luke graduated from Tallmadge High School in Tallmadge, Ohio in 2004. He was not the best student, but he was well liked by everyone. He won the Charlie award for being most outspoken. Luke was very opinionated. He was a “Raging Liberal.” When he turned 18, the first thing he did was register to vote. He completed one year at the University of Akron, majoring in political science, before joining the Navy. He described that as the proudest day of his life. He was the most tolerant, unprejudiced person I ever knew. Yet, in spite of his liberal views, his best friends were always conservatives. He loved to argue with them.
Luke had a knack for making people feel welcome and at ease, even in Iraq. He could always go up and talk to people. Once he in Iraq, he walked up to a new guy and said, “I see you’re wearing combat boots. So am I.” When he was little, adults thought he was clever and wonderful; kids his own age didn’t always get him.
One time Luke was wearing his sunglasses at 2:00 in the morning. When his friends asked why, he said, “The sun never sets on a bad ass.” This has become our toast for Luke.
Visit Luke Emch's Biography for more information.