David Madison was born on September 16, 1946 in Marshfield, Wisconsin. He attended grade school in Marshfield, but graduated from the Wausau Senior High School. After high school, he attended Marathon Technical School and soon went to Stout University in Menomonee, WI. He entered the air force in 1966 and received basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. After that, he was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The last base that he was stationed at was the Luke Air Base in Phoenix, Arizona.

Madison had intentions to fight in the Vietnam War, but he died before he could get the opportunity to see the battle. David suffered from a broken neck in a surfing accident near Los Angeles on September 3rd, and he died September 7th 1967, in the Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles. He was flown back to Wausau, accompanied by a military escort. His funeral was held at the West Side Helke Funeral Home in Wausau. David Madison may have died at a young age of 21, but he had served his country in the Air Force for almost two years. He was a member of the Wausau Chapter of DeMolay, and received the second highest honor in the order of Chevalier.

Written By: Derik J. Fries
Marshfield Senior High