Couple remembered as 'best this nation has to offer'

  • Published
  • By Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum
  • National Guard Bureau
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  A former commanding general of the Washington, D.C., National Guard who was killed June 22 in a subway accident along with his wife was remembered in a June 29 ceremony celebrating his life and accomplishments.

Retired Maj. Gen. David Wherley and his wife, Ann, a mortgage banker, both 62, were returning from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where they were learning how to counsel servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Their Metro train car collided with another train, killing nine people. 

It was a sudden event that shocked Guard members and civilians alike, and drawing many to the ceremony held here at the D.C. Armory to find some sort of closure. Guard members and other speakers, who participated in the ceremony, remembered Wherley as a hands-on leader, who cared about troops and the community.

"They collectively represented the best this nation has to offer," said Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Many times in the deaths of close friends, there is a need to do something: send flowers, comfort the survivors or just staying busy. Many Guard members in attendance felt that doing their job was the best way to remember their friend and former commander. 

"I'm just happy to be here so I can contribute," said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Threat, an honor guardsman, who kept vigil over General Wherley's ashes before the ceremony and had known General Wherley for more than 12 years. "I can't emphasize how close we were."

General Wherley touched many lives with his caring attitude. For Sergeant Threat, that feeling came through during cookouts at the general's house and in one-on-one conversations about Sergeant Threat's ambition to become an officer.

"We used to sit and talk about how to become commissioned," Sergeant Threat said. "He told me what the ropes were and kept me encouraged as far as pursuing my goals to become an officer."

With graduation from college only a year away for Sergeant Threat, he said his goal is still on track.

Although touched in other ways, other Guard members were nonetheless motivated to do their best by General Wherley.

"Everyone has a champion," said Army Chief Warrant Officer Sheila Klotz, the commander of the 257th Army Band, D.C. National Guard. "Someone who makes you think you can do no wrong. Who tells you always you are the best. Who says you're the greatest thing to happen in this organization."

For Chief Klotz, General Wherley was that champion. He lavished praise upon her, and raised her up beyond what she thought she could achieve, she said.

Along with direct praise and new equipment, Chief Klotz said, General Wherley supported the band by coming to every one of their concerts. His sudden absence, she said, will mean Chief Klotz will have to change habits she had integrated into her routine.

"The band is going to miss him this Friday night," Chief Klotz said. "It's going to be hard to turn around and not see that smile and nod of approval from him."

As tribute, Chief Klotz and the 257th Army Band did what they did best. They played Antonin Dvorak's "Goin' Home" and the Irish folk song "Danny Boy" during the ceremony, both of which reminded Chief Klotz of moments with the couple.

At a previous concert, the band played "Goin' Home," which General Wherley recognized immediately. And while playing at a funeral for another Guard member more than a year ago, Chief Klotz remembered a compliment from Mrs. Wherley after a rendition of "Danny Boy."

After playing the selections and speaking about the Wherley's influence on her, Chief Klotz felt a sense of closure she didn't have before. 

"Now I can smile," she said.

After the speeches, musical selections and other remembrances, Sergeant Threat and the rest of the D.C. honor guard carried the ashes of the couple away for a more private memorial service and burial in Arlington National Cemetery June 30.