Army Lt. David T. Wright II was considered a hero not only to his parents but also to his fellow soldiers and friends.

Wright's best friend, 1st Lt. Dax Thomas, said a day hasn't passed when he doesn't stop and think about his college roommate.

"He was like a brother to me," Thomas said during a phone interview from his assignment at Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

Thomas is a member of the Army National Guard's 1st/158th Field Artillery unit stationed in Lawton.

"We were both on the sprint team together and instantly bonded," Thomas said.

He said Wright took time out of his schedule to show Thomas the team's routine.

"He kind of took me under his wing," Thomas said. "I was a walk on in 2004 for the track team. David looked after me and showed me the ropes."

Thomas said Wright was the kind of person who could walk into a room full of strangers and lead the crowd. He was not surprised when Wright entered the military world.

"I'm actually the one who took him to the recruiter's office," he said.

Thomas said Wright loved being a soldier and leading his troops.

"You just kind of have to be in a military mindset to sleep in the dirt with the troops. You either have it or you don't, and David definitely had the mindset," he said.

Thomas said in one of Wright's final letters to his family, Wright spoke about helping the people of Afghanistan live better lives.

"He gave the ultimate sacrifice for not only us, but for someone who we will not meet," Thomas said.

Thomas recalled helping Wright move to Fort Lewis when he received his military orders in 2008.

"The last time we hung out was this road trip," he said. "We went from Oklahoma City to Fort Lewis together. "It was probably one of the best weeks of my life."

Thomas said he and Wright listened to their favorite rock songs and visited cities such as Denver along the way to Washington.

After their trip, Thomas said he and Wright spoke often on the phone or through Facebook.

Thomas said the last communication he had with Wright was on his birthday, Sept. 6. Wright posted a happy birthday message on Thomas' Facebook page.

A few days later, Thomas left for a trip to Chicago. He was on vacation when Wright's mother Michele Wright phoned him and delivered the devastating news.

"It still eats at me," he said. "In our profession, you know death is going to happen. You just never think it's going to be someone that close to you."

Thomas said there are times when it's hard to contemplate that Wright is dead.

"I'm 28, I shouldn't be burying my 26-year-old best friend. I've know him for about six years, I'm a better person for getting to know him," Thomas said.

He said he misses Wright's advice and words of wisdom.

"The biggest thing I miss was that we were so close," Thomas said. "Being able to hang out with him and being able to talk with him. I just planned my whole life to have him some way in it."

Thomas said he is close with Wright's parents and considers them his second family.

"They treated me like a son. I view them like my own parents," he said.

Thomas said he intends to visit Tim and Michele Wright in December when he travels home to Enid for the holidays.

"David was their world," he said. "They raised a great son."

He said it's hard to imagine life without Wright.

"Friends like that, they're rare," he said. "There's not going to be a day that I won't miss David."

Army Capt. Niki Cross said she met Wright when both were students at OU. Thomas introduced Cross to Wright.

The two eventually went on a date.

"All we did was talk about the military the whole time," Cross said.

She said and Wright stayed friends. After college, they kept in touch.

"David was the best friend you could have. He was very protective of his friends," Cross said.

Cross' current assignment has her stationed at Fort Sill, near Lawton. She said she remembers her last conversation with Wright, just days before his death.

"I spoke to him before he was killed in September," she said. "He was really excited about coming home this Christmas."

Cross described her friend and fallen soldier as a selfless leader who was motivated and loyal to his fellow soldiers.

"I got little brothers and sisters. He was the kind of guy I would want to lead my brothers," Cross said.

She said there was no doubt that Wright's father inspired him. Wright planned to become a police officer once he was discharged from the Army.

"He looked up to his dad a lot," Cross said. "He always talked about his dad."

Cross said she holds a great amount of respect for Wright.

"He had a really good head on his shoulders. He was very determined," she said.

Cross said she learned about Wright's death from Thomas on Sept. 15.

"I was dumbfounded. I had literally just talked to him before it happened," she said.

Cross misses the friendship she shared with Wright.

"You could always count on David. He was a good guy," she said. "I could never say enough good things about David."

Meghan McCormick 366-3539 mmccormick@normantranscript.com