How do you say this without sounding melancholy?
Monday, April 7th, 2003David Bloom’s unexpected passing had an unusually powerfuly effect on me. Until now, I’ve never understood the people who go on about how the death of one public figure or another affected them in some way (Princess Di comes to mind, or JFK Jr. — while their deaths were arguably tragic, I never understood the overwhelming public expressions of grief).
But David Bloom’s charm and charisma had a way of drawing you in — and as he gave his updates on the war from atop the modified M-88 tank recovery vehicle (modifications I later learned he personally had a lot to do with) it was obvious how much he enjoyed his job, how much it meant to him personally to report on not just the war but the soldiers. He made them real, gave them faces and voices. His journalistic skills were obvious (especially after the many retrospective broadcasts throughout the day on Sunday) but more than that, his personality was real — none of the feigned or false projections that we see on many other people in the same field.
Sadly, now I understand people’s need to grieve for public figures; it’s just that until now they’ve never really seemed real to me — perhaps that is what the difference is here. David Bloom was real, and I for one will miss him. Though in my mind, he’s still with the 3rd Infantry Division, barreling across the desert sands atop that modified M-88.