Army Cpl. David M. Fraise

Died June 7, 2004 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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24, of New Orleans; assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; killed June 7 when an improvised explosive device hit his patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

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New Orleans soldier killed in Afghanistan explosion

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — A soldier from Louisiana was killed in Afghanistan in an explosion, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Cpl. David M. Fraise, 24, of New Orleans, died Monday in Kandahar “when an improvised explosive device hit his patrol,” according to a Defense Department statement.

Fraise joined the Army in June of 2001, according to a news release from his infantry division.

He followed a family tradition of military service, said his aunt, Connie Craig of New Orleans, noting that Fraise had a cousin, uncle and grandfather who served in the armed forces.

“Helping people was one of his main priorities. He knew the Bible,” Craig said. “I remember his mom saying this was something she couldn’t talk him out of because this was something he wanted to do. He wanted to help the country.”

Fraise leaves behind his wife, Jenaiece, as well as their six-month-old daughter, Jireah, Craig said. The Army asked reporters not to contact Fraise’s wife, who through a military spokesman said she would prefer not to be interviewed about her husband’s death.

Fraise was assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where his wife and daughter live now, Craig said.

Fraise was 7 when his father died. His mother, Juanita, still lives in New Orleans.

Fraise went to church often and sang in a choir, Craig said. Fraise graduated from Kennedy High School, where he participated in student government.