Kandahar Airfield celebrates 10th anniversary of Fraise Chapel

By Chaplain (Maj.) Jennifer CooperApril 25, 2015

Fraise 5K
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Left to right) Brig. Gen. Viet Luong, commander, Train, Advise, Assist Command - South (TAAC-S); Maj. Corrie Hanson, TAAC-S force protection officer; and Col. Robert Campbell, deputy commander, TAAC-S; present a trophy to Hanson following a 5-kilome... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fraise 5K
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members assigned to Train, Advise, Assist Command - South begin a 5-kilometer tribute run on Kandahar Airfield April 3. TAAC-S held the run to honor the legacy of Cpl. David M. Fraise, who was killed in action and for whom the airfield's chap... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fraise 5K
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Left to right) Brig. Gen. Viet Luong, commander, Train, Advise, Assist Command - South (TAAC-S); Capt. Sean Zion, of the 192nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion; and Col. Robert Campbell, deputy commander, TAAC-S; present a trophy to Zion follow... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, multi-national forces and civilians assigned to Kandahar Airfield commemorated 10 years of services conducted at the airfield chapel April 3.

Train, Advise, Assist Command South (TAAC-S) hosted a 5-kilometer tribute run to honor the ultimate sacrifice of Cpl. David M. Fraise and to celebrate the memorial chapel which bears his name.

Fraise was an infantryman assigned to 2-35 Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, deployed to Afghanistan in 2004. He served as an infantryman and was assigned a special duty as a chaplain assistant. On June 7, 2004, during a mounted patrol in the Qalat District of southern Afghanistan, Fraise's vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device at an area known as "Taliban Bridge." Fraise, who was serving as the driver of the truck, was killed.

On April 10, 2005, less than a year after Fraise's death, the chapel was erected on Kandahar Airfield in his honor. Fraise Chapel continues to serve Soldiers, recently hosting more than 250 Romanian troops as they celebrated Easter on April 12, 2015.

Brig. Gen. Viet Luong, commanding general, TAAC-S, opened the ceremony.

"Being the forward thinker he was, David organized bible studies at [forward operating bases] throughout their battle space, where there were none before. He made the rounds to his fellow servicemen and women, listening to them speak, providing a sounding board," he said. "Exemplifying his selfless service, he joined the patrols for months, as a rifleman."

Staff Sgt. Howard Robison, TAAC-S chaplain assistant, organized the run.

"I wanted to honor the 10 years of service this chapel has had on Kandahar Airfield, and honor the service of Cpl. Fraise," he said. "I also wanted to raise awareness of the ministries and services conducted at the chapel."

Robison is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky.

Maj. Corrie Hanson, of the 1st Cavalry Division, deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, finished first in the women's category with a time of 24:22. Capt. Sean Zion, of the 192nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, deployed from Fort Bragg, N.C., finished first in the male category with a time of 17:03.