Daane’s experience hiking the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail while raising money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to the fight against breast cancer; helped lead him to enlist in the military. DeBoer "embraced things as they came and never had a sense of negativity or 'I don't want to do it,'" his teachers said. "There was acceptance of performance, he was always eager to learn and charmed everyone with his disarming smile." "The discipline of doing the trail and what he was doing it for, I think, had a huge impression on him," said his Dad."He brought enthusiasm, humor and heart to whatever activity he chose. While he loved the physical demands of all types of extreme 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."
Cpl. DeBoer enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2009 and was serving his first combat deployment to Afghanistan when he finished his mission June 26, 2010. The DoD did not provide details, however David DeBoer said his son was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol.
Friends and neighbors said the DeBoers were a friendly family. Daane was the youngest of 3 children and when they were younger 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. Even his kindergarten teacher remembered him, saying "he was a friendly little guy, cooperative and well-cared for."
"He was an exceptionally phenomenal young man who loved the Lord," said his mother Charlene Zerrenner of Ludington, Mich. "He loved his family and he loved his country. He died a hero."
Various Bible study groups at the church initiated a prayer circle for the DeBoer family on Friday night after they learned of his death. The reality of it came Sunday in church when there was a prayer request for the family. Their fellow parishioners found the family’s suffering hard to fathom; but agreed that Daane was a child of God, adding “our hope is in that”.
"Military Wall Of Honor." Military Wall Of Honor. Facebook, 29, June 2010. Web. 29 Jun 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment