Posted by: Bethany
Daniel Ryan Varnado. 23 years old. Sergeant in the Army National Guard. An American Hero.
Danny, as his family called him, was born on August 29, 1981. He was assigned to the Army National Guard’s C Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry, Biloxi, Mississippi. He died on May 23, 2005. He was 23 years old.
I knew Danny, although not very well. I was very close to most of the members of his family and I heard them talk of Danny often. I’ve been on several mission trips with his parents and his brother and sister. I remember the trip where they mentioned Danny would be headed to Iraq. They were worried….he would be leaving behind a wife and a young son. They loved their son/brother. But they were proud.
What his family never mentioned (at least not in my hearing) was what Danny was givng up to fight this war for freedom. You see, Danny was a talented baseball player. He was a pitcher for a community college and had recieved a scholarship and signed a letter of intent to play baseball at West Alabama. He then found out he was being deployed. He chose to give up his baseball career for what he though a worthy cause. He never got to break in the his new, coveted Wilson A2000 glove that a pastor friend had helped him purchase.
From acj.com:
“Watching Danny play was watching magic,” said former teammate Dale Young. “He made everyone a better person around him.”
“He joined the Guard because he felt he needed to serve his country”, Young said.
“To know Danny, you have to know his passion,” he said. “You just look him in his eyes and you saw his desire to be the best at everything he did.”
Danny also excelled in his military career. He earned a Top Gun award for his skill as a gunner on the Bradley Fighting Machine in 2003 and was known as a skilled driver for the machines as well. He was well respected by his peers. He thought the War on Terror a worthy cause.
Danny passed away when his military vehicle was struck by an explosive device in Haswa, Iraq. He was 23. He left behind a wife, Sharon, a young son, Cannon, friends and family who loved him, and the memory of a courageous and selfless young man.
His awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Danny is an American Soldier. Danny is an American hero.
Thank you Danny….you truly gave all for freedom. Thank you.
I’m just trying to be a father
Raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother
Everything to everyone
Up and at ‘em, bright and early
I’m all business in my suit
Yeah, I’m dressed up for success
From my head down to my bootsI don’t do it for the money
There’s bills that I can’t pay
I don’t do it for the glory
I just do it anyway
Providing for our future’s my responsibility
Yeah I’m real good under pressure
Being all that I can beAnd I can’t call in sick on Mondays
when the weekends been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long.
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I’m solid, hey I’m steady, hey, I’m true down to the core
And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don’t want to die for you
but if dyin’s asked of me
I’ll bear that cross with honor
’cause freedom don’t come freeI’m an American soldier, an American
beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty’s in jeopardy, I will always do what’s right
I’m out here on the front line
Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I’m an American soldier
~Toby Keith
And if you would like to write a tribute to a fallen soldier to post on your blog, go to Some Gave All (click the picture below) where you can select or be assigned a soldier to remember. Let us never forget the sacrifices they have made…..
July 6th, 2006 at 9:55 am
So sad. My prayers are with his family.
July 8th, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Beautiful tribute to an American Hero. I so admire him, and I thank him for his sacrifice - may he rest in peace with His Lord.