I found about it Friday morning. Dan was married to Mel, who was a former co-worker of mine. And I knew Dan through his marriage to Mel.
Mel is a funny, fun person. Smart ... heck, brilliant ... and for someone to impress her, I knew Dan had to be a heckuva guy. And he was.
Dan was a soldier. And he was a soldier for 19 years, 7 months to the day when he was killed. And as a soldier and as a human being, Dan was the best there is.
He wore our country's uniform with distinction and with pride.
But I didn't know Dan as a soldier. During my short time in service, I never served with him. I got to know Dan through Mel. And the times that I, a Southern Baptist, Atlanta Braves fan, spent with Dan, a Roman Catholic, Boston Red Sox fan, were fun times. Dan was just that kind of guy. He never found anyone a stranger.
Friday morning, before I found out about Dan's death, I was checking out the Columbus Catfish schedule, and was looking to see when Greenville was coming to town. The Greenville Drive is the Class A farm team of the Red Sox, and I was thinking about sitting with Dan, Mel, the girls, and the lizard * at the game. Later that morning, I got the call.
Dan loved his family, he loved his Red Sox, he loved his country, and he loved life.
That life was cut short Thursday night. After surviving combat in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, he lost his life to a 16-year-old girl driving a truck.
I feel sorry for the girl. I don't know her. But she has to live with the fact that a man died in a wreck for which she may be charged.
None of what I'm writing is to cast blame on her. It's just the facts of the situation.
But the fact that I want you keep in focus is that we lost a wonderful man and soldier when we lost Dan. I wish you could have known him.
If you want to honor Dan, or others like him, do as his family asks, and send a donation to:
USO World Headquarters
Department WS
P. O. Box 96860
Washington, DC 20090-6860
1-800-876-7469
Linked to The Mudville Gazette: Dawn Patrol
So sorry for the loss of Dan. He sounds like a gem.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I am so sorry for your loss. I will be sending prayers for you and Dan's family.... What a tragic end to such a fufilled life.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear about this, Basil. My prayers go out to you and his family.
ReplyDeleteI am very sorry for your loss Basil. Both his family and you will be in my prayers.
ReplyDelete[...] Many of you know Basil of Basils blog. He emailed me a link to his post yesterday titled Dan and I thought I should pass it along. A friend of mine is dead. Dan was killed in a wreck Thursday night. [...]
ReplyDeleteHiyaz Basil..so so sorry to hear about yer loss. Plz dont hesitate to write if ya feel like sharing. Blessings and hugs..Angel
ReplyDeleteDan's funeral was a moving event. It touched us all, from the opening remarks, through the piper's "Danny Boy" and "Amazing Grace", through the salute, through taps, through the presentation of the flag to Mel.
ReplyDeleteIt's my hope that Dan knows how much he was loved and appreciated by his family, friends, cadre, and soldiers ... and it will be heartening to the family to know how much you all have cared and were touched enough to leave these kind comments.
Thank you all for the kind comments and for the prayers.
My thoughts and prayers are with y'all
ReplyDelete