David Pearson grew up in Ashland, Oregon, and joined the Oregon Army National Guard in 2001 wanting to fight fires and floods, serve his community, and learn the skills that would carry him through life. He got all three. As a Motor Transport Operator with the 141st Brigade Support Battalion in Medford, he drove cat trails to the fire line during the 2002 Biscuit Fire, pushed through floodwater to clear homes and evacuate residents after Hurricane Katrina, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, where he led convoys and vehicle recovery operations and logged more than 12,000 combat miles. For six of those years he trained and licensed the drivers of his battalion. Of everything on his rack, the medal that means the most to him is the one that sits lowest: the Louisiana Emergency Service Medal, earned after Katrina, because it represents the most positive impact he has made in the world. He retired as a Sergeant in 2013. He is a father and a husband, the work he is proudest of.
David came to CRF the way many of our people do, by reaching out when his own family needed support, and he stayed to make sure others would find what he found. Today he serves as a staff volunteer and is a co-founder of the Survivors Guild, which he started alongside Charles Burrow, who now leads it. He is happiest with other people around him. A solo drive is for clearing his head, but the trail is always shared. For David, "Let No One Fight Alone" means making sure everyone who needs it has the support, understanding, and connection to feel like part of a team. He serves alongside his dedicated wife, Michelle, CRF's Chief Technology Officer.