Eulogy for 1^st Lt Derek Hines
July 9, 1980 – September 1, 2005
By his father Steven Hines

Good Morning and thank you all for being here with us today.  Derek’s story was not supposed to end this soon or in this manner.  This is not how it’s supposed to end, a father giving his son’s eulogy.  When I asked myself how am I going to do this I drew upon Derek’s strength and courage, thinking, if he can do what he accomplished in his twenty-five years of life, I have to speak for him and let the world know Derek’s story.

          After I received the news of Derek’s death I was angry at the world, the Army, the President, the War, even myself for letting him attend West Point.  I quickly realized that to take this stance would minimize all that Derek believed in and all that he accomplished in his life because he truly believed in his mission that he was making the world a better place.   When Derek was looking at colleges, Sue once said to me “Aren’t you worried about him having to go to war after he graduates.”  I said “no I would be more worried if he goes to a conventional college and him getting home safe on the weekends.” 

Well, September 11 changed the world we once knew and Derek quickly realized he would probably be going to war at some point in his military career.  He still had the chance to transfer out of West Point before his junior year without owing the Military any time, but he not have it any other way.

          Derek is the oldest of our four children; Michael, Ashley & Trevor and he made parenting easy for Sue & I by always setting the bar high and reaching for his goals both in the classroom and sports.  His younger brothers and sister just followed from the example he set.

          By no means was Derek the perfect child.  I like how Sister Mary (Derek’s second grade teacher from the Immaculate Conception School) described him when she came to visit us on Saturday.  She called him “spirited” but went on to say that she saw the good in him when he would sit his little sister Ashley on his lap in the lunchroom, while Sue would help at the lunches.

          I would have to say that spirited would be considered an understatement at times.  The first parent teacher conferences of each new school year were always interesting with Derek.  Sue would always ask Derek if there was anything he wanted to say before we went he had better tell us now, because we were going to believe the teacher.  Then it was “well Mr. Smith might say this or Mrs. Jones might say that.” 

At St Johns Prep Sue & I were shocked at the first parent teacher meeting when we sat down in Mr. Nance’s French class, introduced ourselves and he responded “Model Student” We looked at each other in amazement and Mr. Nance said to us “you seemed surprised,” I said “we are” to which he responded “In what way?”  I just said Derek was a little bit of a problem in grades 1-8; he had a little trouble remembering who was the teacher & who was the student.

          Derek always seemed to find different ways to cut his head well enough for stitches.  In the doctors office while waiting to have his tubes removed from his ears he fell and hit his head on the coffee table, climbing the stacks of dog food in the front of Shaw’s supermarket, falling off the stage during the school play here at the IC and thinking an old piece of plywood would make a good slide, (big mistake)

          When Derek turned eighteen he said “you know dad I’m old enough to get a tattoo if I want.”  I jokingly said maybe I will get one with you, to which he responded “ya dad that will be cool,” I was able to put it off for a few months, but he finally called my bluff.  He was so proud of that little H tattooed on his calf, if I knew it was going to make him that happy I would have done it a lot sooner. 

I remember Derek’s first college hockey game in Bemidji Minn. Against Bemidji State as though it were yesterday.  He scored on his first shot on net, though he soon found out they weren’t all going to be that easy.  We were sitting alone in the hotel after the game and I told him how proud I was of him for all he accomplished in the past six months, graduating from St Johns, getting through Cadet basic training and making the team as a freshman.  I then told him that “I HOPE SOMEDAY YOU HAVE A SON, THAT GIVES YOU THE THRILLS, THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME ALL THESE YEARS”

At West Point Derek used to play like he was six feet tall, hitting everything in site at full speed, backing down from no one.  He had his own fan club; a group of local high school kids used to bring Heinz Ketchup bottles to the games and would bang them on the glass when Derek would make a hit or score.  They would wait for him after games for autographs and talk with us like we were celebrities.  After the season he invited them in the locker-room giving them sticks and shirts.

Sophomore year at West Point he met his girlfriend Leah Sandman who was also a cadet and member of the swim team.  After graduation Derek and Leah continued their relationship despite having different posts and jobs in the Army.  Leah did a tour of duty in Iraq, while Derek was able to go back to West Point to be a graduate assistant for the hockey team and she received her Combat Badge for her duty in Iraq.  Last September Derek was stationed in Italy for about six months before he was deployed.  Leah was stationed in Germany and they were able to travel to many places in Europe and spent last Christmas in Paris.  Leah will always be a member of our family.

Derek was in Afghanistan about six weeks and would call every so often.  He would tell us about the different projects he was working on.  I was going online reading about a these battles that were in the very province he was in and finally asked him Derek, what are you really doing?  He said, “Dad, you really want to know?”  I said yes to which he replied, “don’t tell mom.”  “I was in a fire fight for 50 minutes the other day, we took gunfire and RPG fire for 50 minutes, three of us were surrounded by 8 insurgents.  I hate humvees, I am never getting in another one, I’ll walk till my feet bleed and my feet are bleeding because we walked fifty miles in two days.”   “That was the second gun battle we were in this week.”  Shortly after that, he wrote his letter to the Nbpt Daily News so I really couldn’t keep the danger of his missions from his mother anymore.

The whole time he was there he never once complained.  Two weeks ago four men in his company were killed when their humvee was blown up in front of Derek’s one of his soldiers was critically injured.  Derek’s only concern was to ask if we knew anyone living in Washington that could visit his soldier because his family couldn’t the plane fare. 

Courage - That quality of mind or spirit enabling one to meet danger or opposition with fearlessness.

Fortitude - Strength of mind in the face of pain, adversity, or peril, patient courage.

Humble - Free from pride or vanity, modest.

Hero - A man distinguished for exceptional courage and fortitude, one idealized for superior qualities or deeds of any kind.ford plane fare to visit. 

 It was never about Derek, he was truly a hero and his legacy will live on forever.  I know he is looking down upon me now saying Dad stop talking about me.  I will never stop, until I see you again, Love Dad