Fallen

In all the years I have been covering Veterans Day services I think this was the saddest. Gathered around the Tracy War Memorial we all watched as the last name of a Tracy serviceman was unveiled on the stone wall recalling those from Tracy who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Marine Staff Sgt. Daniel Hansen was the latest casualty in the war on terrorism and the first to be killed in Afghanistan. His name is inscribed on the wall with the seven servicemen who died in the Iraq War. I sometimes can’t recall their names right off the top of my head but I remember their pictures. I also remember the pictures of the families caught in the depths of their sorrow and mourning.


Today’s ceremony at the War Memorial honored all veterans but I think the large crowd turned out in part to pay their respects to Staff Sgt. Hansen and his family. Tracy has one of the highest rates of casualties per capita in the war. Our city has paid a heavy price for freedoms we all take for granted and today’s ceremony honored the latest to lay down his life for us.

The ceremony was brief, a few speeches the name of Staff Sgt. Hansen was unveiled and then with a rifle volley and the playing of taps ceremony ended. But through it all were the tears. Family, friends and strangers could be seen sobbing all around. Mayor Ives even looked to be fighting back tears as he read a proclamation for Staff Sgt. Hansen. It seems harsh and cruel to take pictures of the family as they grieve but it tells the story of their undying love and unbearable loss.
With the ceremony over and the crowd leaving I took one more picture of Staff Sgt. Daniel Hansen’s name on the black marble wall. One of our own is gone but he will never be forgotten.