T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY PLANS FOR the annual David Van Camp Memorial Steak Fry are well under way. The event is slated for this Saturday at the Wheeling Park Ice Rink. Pictured at the bench which is erected in his honor at the Patterson Field Complex are members of the foundation and planning committee. Pictured are Hailey Romshak, Renee Coss, Linda Van Camp, Don Van Camp, Judy Van Camp, Walker Romshak and Jackson Romshak. Back row, from left, are Michael Hamilton, Robin Posey, Hope Romshak and Miles Posey.

ELM GROVE — Linda Van Camp thinks about June 29, 2011 daily.

Who could blame her? It was that day when her son, David, was killed in Iraq just six weeks before his tour of duty was expected to end.

“It was 11:45 at night when (the military) came knocking on the door to tell us what had happened,” Van Camp recalled. “He and his unit were packing up to move to a different base. A guy, dressed up like a lady, came walking down the street and blew everything up.”

A graduate of Marshall University, David, who is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C., began thinking about a career in the military during his senior year of high school in 2000. After earning his degree, he enlisted in the United States Army in May of 2005 and shortly thereafter learned of his first deployment to the Middle East.

“We were proud of him,” Linda said. “He was doing what he wanted to do.”

During his first tour of duty in Iraq, David was severely injured by a “suicide bomber.”

“He was injured six weeks before he was supposed to come home,” Linda said.

After recovering, David and his unit (United States Army 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Calvary Division) were deployed once again.

Just before heading back to Iraq, David talked his mom into taking a few days off work to visit him in Killeen, Texas where he had been stationed.

“It was July of 2010 and he called and asked if I’d come down, so I packed up, told my work I was leaving and find someone to do my job for a few days,” Linda said. “I was down there for four or five days. We went to lunch and just did a lot of things together.”

Unfortunately, that trip proved to be the final time that Linda saw her son alive.

“It was hard leaving him (to come home),” Linda said. “I am so glad that he suggested that trip because I value it more than any other trip I’ve gone on in my life.”

More than five years later, Van Camp’s lasting memory lives on through the Captain David Van Camp Memorial Foundation, which was founded shortly after his death. Through the work of the foundation, seven former Wheeling Park baseball players have received a scholarship to further their educations.

David was a multi-year letterwinner and team captain for the Patriots during his career. His affection for baseball made the decision on who to present the scholarship to an easy one for the foundation.

“David loved baseball,” his mother said. “It’s nice to have him remembered by the kids who play ball because that was his thing. From Pinto League to high school, we watched him play on basically every field in the area. I remember when he got injured (in Iraq) the first time, he couldn’t play ball anymore because of his shoulder. That really devastated him.”

The proceeds for the scholarship are generated through a steak fry, which serves as the foundation’s only true fundraiser.

The fifth annual steak fry is slated for this Saturday at the Wheeling Park Ice Rink from 6-11 p.m. The cost of a ticket is $25, which includes steak, potato, salad, roll and beverage.

“The planning is going well,” foundation president Hope Romshak said. “Our ticket sales have really started to pick up over the last couple of weeks. We’ve done an online sale for the first time.”

This is the first time the steak fry has been held in September. Previously, it had been held in May, but, according to Romshak, the decision to move the event was based on trying to avoid conflicts with graduations and weddings.

The attendance at prior events has been impressive.

“The first one we had was at the Elm Grove Civics building and we couldn’t put anymore people in there,” Romshak recalled. “So, we’ve moved it to the ice rink. We’ve been averaging about 250 people the last several years.”

Along with the meal, there will be music, door prizes, Chinese auctions and other events.

While advance purchase of the tickets is being encouraged, Romshak pointed out that there will be tickets available at the door, too.

Past recipients of the Van Camp scholarship have included: John Pyle and Cameron Amend (2012), Ethan Jacobs (2013), Matthew Brooks (2014), Killian Coyne and Michael Grove (2015) and Zane Hummel (2016).

To be considered for the scholarship, each applicant must submit an essay answering the question, “what does David’s sacrifice and leadership in both baseball and life mean to you?”

While the scholarship is the primary mission of the foundation, it’s also done numerous projects in the community. Included was facilitating the re-naming of the largest field at the Patterson Complex in Elm Grove as the “Captain David Van Camp Memorial Field” and two bridges in Elm Grove (Captain David Van Camp Memorial Bridge and the Sgt. Matthew Hunter Memorial Bridge).

The foundation has made a yearly donation to the West Virginia Patriot Guard Riders and supported the Wounded Warrior’s softball team and their Healing Waters Foundation.

Making sure it helps youth baseball players in Elm Grove, the foundation donated $1,250 to the Elm Grove Civics “with hope that some of that money could help enroll two boys from the St. John’s Boys Home into the summer baseball program.” Last fall, the foundation sponsored a fall league team named, “The Captains.”

Since the field has been re-named, the foundation has erected a new flagpole in centerfield and just recently unveiled a memorial bench in the outfield with David’s picture.

For more information on the foundation or to purchase a steak fry ticket, contact Romshak at 740-310-0850.