 ST. JOSEPH – A coach and teacher remembered Army Maj. David L. Audo,
a University of Illinois graduate from St. Joseph who died Tuesday in
Baghdad, as a great athlete and a better student.
Jim Acklin said that in his 31 years in education, he met more than
5,000 students, and Maj. Audo stood out, both on the St. Joseph-Ogden
High School track team and in honors biology.
"His sense of humor sticks out, and he was ornery in a good way," Acklin said Wednesday.
The Defense Department reported that the highly decorated military
police officer, 35, died Tuesday in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a
non-combat-related incident.
The cause remains under investigation, and no other details were available from a Defense Department spokeswoman.
According to the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune, he was assigned in
July to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 22nd Military
Police Battalion at Fort Lewis, Wash., and at the time of his death was
serving as executive officer for the battalion's forward element in
Iraq. Audo's military career began after receiving his officer commission
in 1997. He took his first military police assignment in Schweinfurt,
Germany, served two deployments in Kosovo between 1999 and 2001, did a
tour of Iraq in 2003, deployed to Afghanistan in 2005, and in 2006
started a three-year stint as a provost marshal in Southport, N.C.
He was a 1992 graduate of St. Joseph-Ogden High School who went to
the UI on a ROTC scholarship, according to News-Gazette files. His
civilian education included a bachelor's degree in architecture from
the UI in 1998 and a master's degree in business from Webster
University in St. Louis in 2002.
He married Rebecca K. Johnson in 1998 in Danville. According to her
Web site, they have a son, Austin David, born in 1999, and a daughter,
Ashley Marie Elizebeth, born in 2002.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
Acklin said Maj. Audo was on the track team as a sprinter, running dashes and relays.
"The team he was on in the spring of 1992 was arguably the strongest dual-meet team we ever had," Acklin said.
Acklin also saw the future major in advanced biology class.
"He was a good student. In senior honors biology, you have to be
pretty motivated. He always had a smile on his face, and was excited to
be in class. He was part of a group of fun yet challenging students to
teach; you had to bring your A game," he said.
Acklin said Maj. Audo was also in the drama club. | 
Sir, I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for our Country-not just in OIF, but also for your service in Kosovo and Afghanistan as well. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
Military Police Corps Regimental Prayer
by Chaplain Michael Yarman
We praise You because You are our Creator, our Redeemer and our Provider.
We acknowledge our great need for You as we fulfill our mission as Soldiers.
We have been called to serve our nation as Military Police and we are proud of the honored heritage of the Regiment and our motto: Of the Troops and For the Troops.
Whether we are fighting an enemy, securing an area, patrolling the streets, or helping someone in distress, help us, O Lord, to always be men and women of integrity who can be counted on to do the right thing.
Give us the strength to stand for what is right and to oppose those who would do harm to our nation and the people we serve.
May we always be truthful in Word, Deed and Signature, and bring honor through our service to the memory of those in the Regiment who gave the supreme sacrifice for their country.
Guide us now, by giving us wisdom and knowledge from on high, that as Military Police we will always be prepared to Assist, Protect and Defend.
A grateful citizen