Daniel was born in Tucson, AZ on July 4th, 1971 so he had no choice but to be a Patriot. He joined the Army in February 1990 and conducted Basic and Advanced Individual Training at Ft Benning, GA. as an Indirect Fire Infantryman.
During his time in the Army he held a variety of positions such as Driver/Ammo Bearer, Assistant Gunner, Mortar Gunner, Mortar Squad Leader, Mortar Section Sergeant and Mortar Platoon Sergeant. Additionally, he was assigned as an Army Recruiter (Las Vegas, NV) and Basic Combat Training Drill Sergeant (Ft Jackson, SC) and served in Baumholder, Germany, Ft. Carson, CO and Ft Hood, TX
In the early afternoon hours on April 8, 2006 he was on a patrol in Southern Baghdad when his Humvee was engaged by an IED. The intensity of the blast sent shrapnel through the floorboards and the area behind the front tire resulting in the traumatic amputation of both his legs below the knees along with other minor injuries. During his recovery at the Brooke Army Medical Center he was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, MRSA, pseudomonas aeruginosa and other infectious microbes.
After two years of recovery and rehabilitation and 18 years in the Army, Daniel was ready to be released from the Warrior in Transition Battalion. He was able to continue on active duty and spent the next two years working at the Center for the Intrepid at Ft. Sam Houston, TX operating the Firearms Training Simulator. Daniel retired in April 2010 with 20 years as a Master Sergeant.
Since retiring from the Army, he has earned a B.S. in Computer Information Systems at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. He is currently working as the Skills4Life Program Manager for the Military Warriors Support Foundation.
The outdoors was a big part of his recovery. Getting to spend time with other veterans in the outdoors doing the things they love is really a blessing to Daniel. It’s not about killing animals or catching big fish, but more about the time spent together around the campfire sharing their stories and making new lifelong friends in the process. He is grateful for this opportunity.
Daniel and his wife, Ernestine, have been married for 25 years. Their daughter, Mary will be attending Texas Tech University in the Fall of 2019. She plans to get a degree in Political Science and eventually become a lawyer.
