In Memory of Scott Yuppa. Scott was a dear friend of the Bushwackers and his passing is a shock to us all. We will all miss you Scott.

This is an email that Dennis Argul sent to the corps. I think it expresses the feelings of us all...

I was told of Scott Yuppa's death on Sunday morning before we left for Mass. It was numbing. I did not want to think about it, so I pushed it away. How could it be? A young man as virile and alive as Scott. Dead? It must be a mistake. Then to think about his father's death as well was unimaginable. How must his mother feel? To lose a husband and son in one moment. Incomprehensible. Then the thoughts of Denise and her unborn baby. I look at my daughters as I write this and I think of the agony Denise must be enduring at this time. I hope she is able to reconcile with the idea that somehow this has to be for a reason, that this must make sense. I wish her peace of mind and strength in the days ahead. She needs to be strong for herself, her mother-in-law and her baby.

I think about the bus ride home Sunday and how trivial I feel now about how I was complaining that the ride was too long, the bus too slow and that it was raining and I would have to get wet as I unloaded the bus. Or how cramped I felt in my seat, or how long the day seemed to be as I sat on l-95 waiting to pass the scene of a car accident and to get home and watch a television show. How small all those things seem now.

Moments like this define who we really are. I am a lucky man to have what I have in and to be alive to enjoy all that is. How lucky I am to have a wife that loves me and is my best friend. How wonderful life is to share with my four beautiful daughters and see them grow and become young women. How awesome it is for me to have you all for friends! Sometimes I forget. No, I often forget. When this happens, it puts it all back in order. How I wish I can sustain this feeling of loving my fellow brothers and sisters. How unimportant does placement seem now? Who cares about how many horns or drums we have now? How petty are all those arguments that have kept us away from the Corps, or from speaking to one another?

I can only hope that a moment like this can bring us all closer together. We should cherish each and every moment we have with each other as if it is our last. It just might be.

One of my favorite musicals "Les Miserables" has one of the most touching lines in it I have ever heard. It is a moment toward the end of the show before the protagonist, Jean Valjean, dies. He sings "To love another person is to see the face of God." I hope we can love one another more each day. Maybe that is the point of it all. Maybe that is the only thing that makes any sense in this world.

Peace,
Dennis