Dan fit in well at West Point. His work as Pointer representative for his company netted record sales, and he was a stalwart of the Honor Committee. He boxed plebe year, won a monogram in cross-country, and was assistant football manager. But despite his college year, academics were rough on him, and the two stars on his bathrobe indicated the turnouts passed. He had always planned to be an infantryman so the class rating did not bother him. And to the Infantry he went.

He was among the first parachutists in the class and was shortly a rifle company commander in the 541st Parachute Infantry Regiment. In September 1944, he took over a company in the 82nd Airborne and lasted four months until badly wounded in January in Belgium during the Ardennes fighting. His two Bronze stars, the “V” for valor, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman Badge were little compensation for the eight months he spent in the hospital system. Yet he returned to the airborne, taught at the school, and graduated from Leavenworth before joining the 187th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Japan. Troop duty was interspersed with ten months at the War Crimes Trials. But the Japan duty was notable for his meeting and marrying Garnet Hause of Wisconsin in Yokohama. Their happy marriage was to last more than 40 years.

In the next years, Dan returned for the Infantry Advanced Course, taught ROTC at Montana State College, was logistics advisor to the Chinese Nationalist Second Army on Taiwan, and G-3 Training officer of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis. A year in Saudi Arabia as an advisor with a line battalion followed. After three years teaching at Fort Lee, he and Garnet spent four years in Hawaii with PACOM. Two years in CDC at Fort Belvoir were followed by two years on the Fourth Army Staff at Fort Sam Houston. Then came six months in USARV in Vietnam and six months as logistical advisor in Cambodia.

Dan’s final service was on the Fort Sam Houston staff with Mitch Goldenthal, as director of Industrial Operations. He retired in March 1973 in San Antonio. Besides his World War II decorations, he was awarded the Legion of Merit twice, the MSM, another Bronze Star, and an array of Commendation Medals. Dan’s 30 years of dedicated service in the Airborne Infantry and as a logistician were largely unheralded, but such service is what West Point is all about. In his retirement years, he operated a home improvement business in San Antonio, but left that for complete retirement in 1981.

Dan and Garnet enjoyed golf together and their quiet life in Texas. In August 1989, while watching television in his den, Dan’s heart suddenly gave out. He was buried with military honors in the cemetery of the post he had served so well, mourned by his friends in the community there and by his classmates. Sleep well, old jumper.

— His classmates