Daniel Brian Hyde

West Point, 2007

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Adam Nordin on May 30, 2016:

Dan, It's Memorial Day 2016. It was a beautiful Pacific North West Day today. By all accounts the weather was supposed to be terrible, but the sky cleared up for the better. Mandy and I had a fantastic weekend traveling and visiting with friends. This last week, Chris' wife wrote an op-ed article in the Seattle newspaper about how millennials are not as well connected with the war and with our military as they should be. Frankly, I think in many cases, the newest generation of voting Americans are resisting the need to understand the state of the world and the role that America plays. Her article was spot-on and spoke strongly to Mandy and many other Americans who have known someone who has stood toe to toe with the enemies of our country. She also made a reference to you, Dan. Not by name or by unit, but that you were Chris' best West Point friend who laid down his life in the name of Freedom. You were taken from us far too soon, brother, but your memory lives on, strong as ever. She has never met you or seen you, but she knows who you are, and how important you are to her husband and what an amazing person you were. To me, this is the true meaning of Memorial Day - that a person can learn about the life of another American, like you, who drew the line in the sand between himself and the enemies of his country. Yesterday we were at a BBQ with some new friends and, of course, Ranger School stories were going around. I talked about our extended, 2-week 'vacation' in Florida where we ate so much. The hardest thing we did was pickup pinecones each day. I paused and almost choked your name out, but thought better of that story and kept it for myself. Good times, Dan. We are the men we are today because of the great people that have touched our lives, and you are no exception. I gain strength in knowing that you were chosen first amongst us because you were the best of us, and nobody but you was ready to take on the burden of watching over us, keeping us warm when it is cold, and shining a light when it is dark. Many cold, dark days have passed, and many more will come. Thank you, Dan. We owe our lives to you. -Adam

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