The family of a National Guardsman from Garfield killed in a car wreck is expressing their appreciation to a bystander who sat and prayed with him during his final moments, and to first responders who covered his body with an American flag.
“It’s that light in the dark kind of a thing,” said Jason Greiner of Farmington, the younger brother of Master Sgt. David Thomas Greiner, who was on his way to Duluth for a weekend of Guard exercises when he was killed. “I just want to get it out there to the community and the world that these good people are still out there.”
Thomas Greiner, 45, was going to retire in October after 20 years of military service, his brother said. His career began as a helicopter mechanic for the U.S. Air Force and included two deployments to Afghanistan with the National Guard.
He died after a motorist heading the other direction on Interstate 35 south of Hinckley crossed the median and crashed into his vehicle.
Greiner said a motorist named Sean who came upon the crash pulled over to help. A veteran himself, and a former firefighter, Sean told the family that his heart dropped when he saw David’s National Guard uniform in the vehicle and realized the crash victim was a fellow service member. Sean got law enforcement permission to sit in the passenger seat to offer what comfort he could.
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“I stayed with him, talked to him and prayed with him,” Sean messaged David’s widow, Jess Greiner. “I stayed with him until I was asked to leave by a law enforcement officer. … I wanted to reach out … and let you know that your husband was not alone.”
Jason Greiner said he was grateful that Sean was with his brother, and also for the law enforcement response.
The two people in the other car suffered life-threatening injuries and were flown by helicopter to Twin Cities hospitals.
When law enforcement realized the accident victim was in the military, they quickly figured that he must have been heading to Duluth, said Pine County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Grice, who also had given Sean permission to sit with David. They knew that the 148th Fighter Wing was having training exercises that weekend. It turned out that it was David’s unit.
Grice said the first responders fell quiet, and then someone said they needed an American flag, and then someone else made calls and another person went to the hardware store in nearby Hinckley. When the hardware store realized what the flag was for, it donated the flag.
The flag was used to cover David Greiner’s body.
“Every single person on that crash scene stopped what they were doing and surrounded David and gave our respects to him,” Grice said.
Then they all stood there, a dozen or more people, hats in hands, silently waiting until the funeral home arrived.
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“Whether you’re military or law enforcement or part of EMS or the fire department, there’s such a huge sacrifice that every one of those members gives,” he said. “It’s also a sacrifice for the family and we want to make sure that we honor the sacrifice.”
When he wasn’t with the National Guard, David worked construction, excavation and masonry, primarily with Bitzan-Ohren Masonry in Alexandria, Jason Greiner said.
Jason said his brother was a quiet guy who never talked much, but was always willing to pitch in and help family and friends. He was born in Nebraska, and the family moved to Minnesota when he was in middle school. He graduated from Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School and completed the diesel mechanics program at Alexandria Technical College in the mid- to late-1990s.
Jason said the whole family is grateful for the care the first responders and Sean showed to David, and that even though none of them felt they deserved recognition, he wanted the public to know about their deeds.
“It’s touched the whole family,” he said. “They deserve thanks, you know?”
