Daane Adam DeBoer, War in Afghanistan CasualtyPorter County Data on War in Afghanistan Casualties . . . .
Daane Adam DeBoer
Corporal, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, United States
Marine Corps
Date of Birth: February 12, 1986, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana
Date of Death: June 25, 2010, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Cause of Death: Killed in Action, improvised explosive device
Hometown: Valparaiso
Newspaper Notices:
Service Honors Fallen U.S. Marine
VALPARAISO | The
community gathered Saturday to honor one of its own, U.S. Marine Cpl. Daane
DeBoer, for giving his life while serving in Afghanistan.
The Valparaiso native was just 24 years old when an explosive device took his
life during foot patrols three months ago.
At a ceremony Saturday at Foundation Meadows Park in Valparaiso, about 100
family members, friends and residents shared their grief and recalled a life
lost too soon.
"Daane died a hero," said Valparaiso attorney David Hollenbeck, a friend of the
DeBoer family.
Hollenbeck said DeBoer cared more about others than himself, as evidenced by his
hiking the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail to raise money for breast cancer
research. He enlisted in the military to help the people of Afghanistan and make
the world a safer place, Hollenbeck said. He said DeBoer was a character, but
more importantly, had character.
"In death, Daane taught us much about life," said Hollenbeck, his voice
cracking. "As we leave here today, let you all be a little more like Daane
DeBoer."
Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said the community is deeply grateful for DeBoer's
service.
"That is something we will never forget. There is a great price for freedom. ...
Some families pay the price a lot more," Costas said.
"Daane will remain one of the true heroes of Valparaiso."
Pastor Steve Bongard, of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, said he saw
DeBoer this past winter and is so grateful he got a chance to thank him for
serving this country.
"Daane laid down his life for his fellow Marines. ... and for the freedom we so
enjoy. Daane is a hero," Bongard said.
The Marine Corps League of Porter County presented the colors; Miguel
Rosario-Vega played taps; and Valparaiso University's VuVox a cappella group
sang "The Star-Spangled Banner."
________________________________________________________________
Source: The Times; Munster, Lake County, Indiana; September 19, 2010
Local Marine Daane Adam DeBoer Killed in Afghanistan
Valparaiso,
Ind. - Former teachers of Daane Adam DeBoer recall him as a boy with a ready
smile who always loved to learn.
DeBoer carried that willingness into adulthood when he became a U.S. Marine,
graduating boot camp on June 16, 2009.
Cpl. DeBoer died Friday, at age 24 when hit by an improvised explosive device
while on foot patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He'd been deployed in
early March, according to information provided to the Associated Press by his
family, who declined comment, requesting privacy.
"What stood out about him was his potential," said DeBoer's fourth-grade teacher
Judith Miller, now retired.
DeBoer attended Immanuel Lutheran School, Valparaiso, through the sixth grade
before moving away.
Miller taught DeBoer during the 1995-96 school year. She taught his older
sisters Aubrey and Ashley before that.
"He was a well-behaved boy, dependable, but the youngest in the family. His
sisters were protective of him. He was a normal kid, and I call him a golden boy
only because of his shock of blonde hair."
DeBoer "embraced things as they came and never had a sense of negativity or 'I
don't want to do it,'" Miller said. "There was acceptance of performance."
DeBoer enjoyed extreme sports, whether he was skiing the slopes in Colorado or
walking the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail with his cousin to help raise
several thousand dollars for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure fund, his family
said in a statement.
"He brought enthusiasm, humor and heart to whatever activity he chose. While he
loved the physical demands of these types of sports and activities, Daane wanted
to use his talents for something larger than himself," the statement said. "He
made the decision to enter the United States Marine Corps."
It was DeBoer's first combat deployment.
Miller said she was surprised when she saw DeBoer's name in a section of the
church bulletin asking for prayers for church members in the military.
"I said, 'Oh no.' You don't want a child you've taught lost that way. All the
potential and their future is gone and their family torn apart that way."
Miller said she last saw DeBoer several years ago when he and his older sisters
visited the school for an evening event.
"He was a good-looking young man and I wondered where he was going to make his
mark," Miller said.
"He was a really cute little blonde boy," said Gloria Botel, DeBoer's
kindergarten teacher.
"They were a friendly family," she said. "His two older sisters took very good
care of him. They always made sure he got to the classroom and they pointed him
in the right direction.
"He was a friendly little guy, cooperative and well-cared for."
Karen Bickel was DeBoer's first- grade teacher and her husband, Phil, was
DeBoer's sixth-grade and physical education teacher.
"He was friendly, outgoing and a good student," Phil Bickel said. "He was
well-liked by his classmates."
DeBoer also enjoyed physical education, including all aspects of sporting
activities, Phil Bickel said.
Karen Bickel said the DeBoers were "sweet people."
"They were a big part of our Immanuel family. Daane was very happy and cheerful
and attended to his tasks very well. He always wanted to please and was eager to
learn," she said.
Various Bible study groups at the church initiated a prayer circle for DeBoer on
Friday night after they learned of his death, Karen Bickel said.
"The reality of it came yesterday in church when there was a prayer request for
the family," she said. "It's hard to fathom. It just breaks my heart to think of
their suffering. He was a child of God and our hope is in that. It's difficult,
even with a strong faith."
DeBoer is survived by his father and stepmother David and Mary DeBoer of
Valparaiso, his mother and stepfather Charlene and Jim Zerrenner of Ludington,
Mich., sisters Aubrey DeBoer, 28, Ashley DeBoer, 26 and Lindsey DeBoer, 13.
Funeral arrangements are pending with Metcalf Funeral Home in Grand Rapids,
Mich. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Immanuel Lutheran School
of Valparaiso.
DeBoer's service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National
Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
________________________________________________________________
Source: Fox News; Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; June 29, 2010
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List of
Porter County War in Afghanistan Casualties
Information abstracted and transcribed by Steven R. Shook