GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
If you say the name David Gray in the city of Loganville you'll be impressed by what you hear.
"He was just full of life, always smiling," said Peggy Beck, whose son was friends with Gray.
"You could depend on him for anything," said Brandi Allgood, Gray's high school friend.
To say the Loganville High School graduate and Air Force Major was well-respected would be a major understatement. You may be hard pressed to find someone who didn't admire or look up to the 38-year-old husband and father of three.
"There was not a person on earth that didn't like David. He was just unbelievable," Allgood said.
Gray was killed nearly two weeks ago by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.
The blast robbed his wife and three young children of a lifetime of precious memories. Gray's brother said he's doing his best to hold everything together.
"We are taking it day by day, hour by hour. It's really hard on the family with him being so young," Ronnie Gray said.
A memorial service for the fallen hero is scheduled for Tuesday evening at a First Baptist Church of Loganville.
Residents plan to honor the hometown hero by lining the street as the processional passes.
Allgood spent the morning putting up a sign honoring the man she shared a special bond with that started when he was a boy.
"He and I were just friends forever. He is actually the first boy I kissed," Allgood said.
They may have grown up and gone their separate ways, but Allgood said the respect she has for him has never and will never go away.
"Words can't even describe what we have lost," Allgood said.
"The support from the community is going to help out a lot, just knowing that the support for my brother and the other service men that are with him is just helpful and just warms my heart," Ronnie Gray said.
David Gray is scheduled to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 24. He is also slated to posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for valor on the battle field.
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Maj. David Gray
