Friends mourn loss at vigil to honor student

The emotions that flowed from the remembrance session for IU senior Spc. Brett Hershey held at 9 p.m. Monday night included Hershey's demeanor as an all-around comedic guy, but kept returning to his love for Jesus Christ and the passion he felt for his faith.\nHershey, a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, had many friends who had great memories of his leadership qualities.\nBetween 75 and 80 people came to celebrate Hershey's life and to reminisce about the person he was and the tragic event that occurred Saturday when Hershey was killed by a land mine in Kabul, Afghanistan.\n"It was a shocking moment for us all," said Jeff Chudy, sponsor of Campus Crusade for Christ. "I can only imagine how his parents reacted to the loss of their son."\nThe stories of Hershey's life ranged from the goofy type to the way he wanted to help the people he met by aiding them to become enlightened with Christ's teachings.\n"This is the first person that I've lost in the war," said Hershey's high school friend, IU senior David Tann. "I just don't understand why this happened, especially to a great guy like him."\nSenior Nate Graeser, who spent more time with Hershey than he did his own family, said he has many great memories of him.\n"Anyone who has spent more then five minutes with him, knows he is a goofball," Graeser said.\n"We would get in the hot tub and reminisce about life," said Ryan Maher, senior at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. "It was always just great time with him."\nThrough the first part of the make-shift ceremony, the mood was very light because those in attendance were remembering funnier stories about Hershey. Later on in the evening, the mood changed to one of a somber nature, as everyone began praying for Hershey and his family.\nThe storytelling lasted nearly two hours as those who were in attendance chatted late into the night.\nDespite his life being cut short, the memory of Hershey living life to the fullest continually radiated from the audience.\n"It is just a time to remember him, and the person he was," Chudy said. "I don't think we'll ever forget."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Ryne Shadday at rshadday@indiana.edu.