Daclan left CSULB to serve

Local student and Army medic, 24, was killed Friday.

By Chad Greene

Staff Writer

TORRANCE — Army Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr. was only about two semesters shy of finishing his bachelor's degree in engineering when he voluntarily gave up the peaceful, tree-shaded hills of Cal State Long Beach for the war-torn sands of Iraq.

There was no draft; he didn't have to go. But the way the Filipino immigrant saw it, there was no other choice.

"Edgar decided that he was needed, so he joined the Army. He knew what he was getting into. He knew there was a war," said his sister, Iris Daclan. "Because we're immigrants here, because this country has done so much for us … he wanted to serve the country."

About eight months into his tour of duty in Iraq, Daclan was scheduled to come back to Southern California on leave Sept. 25.

"Edgar is our only brother," Iris Daclan said. "We were so excited to see him."

But the 24-year-old combat medic attached to the 1st Infantry Division's 18th Infantry never made it home. He was killed Friday by an explosion in Balad, Iraq.

Daclan was born May 14, 1980, in Cebu City, Philippines. His family moved to the United States in 1993, living in Long Beach for about a year before settling in Torrance.

"We moved to America to have a better future, to have a better life," Iris Daclan said.

Education played a big part in the Daclans' plans for their six children's futures. In 1998, their only son graduated from Narbonne High School in Harbor City. He had completed three years of course work toward an electrical engineering degree at CSULB when he dropped out about a year and a half ago to enlist in the Army.

After completing basic training, Daclan was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division's 18th Infantry, stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. In February, his unit was deployed to Iraq.

"His job as a combat medic was very dangerous," said Iris Daclan, a Navy veteran who served five years as a medical corpsman herself. "But he knew what he was there for: to do the job, to help the people of Iraq because they were suffering, and also to protect the United States from further terrorist attack."

Daclan called home as often as he could, but the last call his parents received was from one of his superior officers, who described their slain son as a "very special soldier' and said that he had never seen fear in Daclan's eyes.

Daclan is survived by his parents, Gertrude and Edgar Daclan Sr. of Torrance; and five sisters, Iris Daclan of Annapolis, Md., and Aileen, Ira, Sheila and Sunshine Daclan of Torrance.

Daclan will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery on Sept. 24. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Courtesy of U.S. Army

The memorial display for Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr. at a service in the chapel on Ledward Barracks on Wednesday. Daclan, 24, a medic from Cypress, Calif., was killed Sept. 10 in Balad, Iraq, when his patrol responded to indirect fire and was hit by a makeshift bomb.

Courtesy of U.S. Army

Members of an honor guard flank a memorial display for Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr. at a service in the chapel on Ledward Barracks on Wednesday.

Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr.

Thursday, September 16, 2004



1st ID medic remembered as courageous, dedicated to job

By Rick Emert, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Wednesday, September 15, 2004



Spc. Edgar P. Daclan Jr. was praised for his work ethic and courage during a memorial service Wednesday at Ledward Chapel in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Daclan, 24, a medic from Cypress, Calif., was killed Sept. 10 in Balad, Iraq, when his patrol responded to indirect fire and was hit by a makeshift bomb.

He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment and attached to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment at the time of his death.

“Doc Daclan was a brother to many in the Steel Tigers,” said Lt. Col. David S. Hubner Sr., commander of the 1-77, in remarks made during an earlier service in Iraq and read at Wednesday’s service.

“The Tiger medics admired Doc for his work ethic, for he was taking classes in the aid station with the more senior medics to be the best he could be.”

The Steel Tigers is the nickname of the 1-77.

Soldiers also said Daclan went beyond what was expected of him as a combat medic.

“Patrol after patrol, day in and day out, Doc was always there to take care of his platoon,” said 1st Lt. Jon R. Martin, Daclan’s platoon leader, in remarks read from the Iraq service. “This is what you expect from any medic.

“But Doc did not just ride along to provide medical support. He lived the life of an infantryman. Boots on the ground, through the brush. And loved being point man.”

“Doc led the way in the hunt for the enemy and this is what he was doing when the [improvised explosive device] took his life.”

Martin said Daclan also frequently tended to Iraqis.

“Doc did not just take care of his soldiers,” Martin said. “He often found himself aiding Iraqis wounded in accidents simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Doc would not discriminate. He came here to help, and he did just that.”

Born in the Philippines, Daclan’s family moved to the United States when he was 8 years old. He joined the Army in November 2002 as a combat medic.

Daclan was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and was also awarded a Purple Heart.

He is survived by his father, Edgar Daclan Sr., of Torrence, Calif.

How many Iraqis did these goons kill? Where are the pictues of them?

If these goons were still alive how many more Iraqis would they kill?

MILITARY DEATHS

Army Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr., 24, Torrance; Killed on Patrol in Iraq

By Dave McKibben

Times Staff Writer

September 19, 2004

Edgar Daclan Jr. was just two semesters short of an electrical engineering degree from Cal State Long Beach when he surprised his family by enlisting in the Army.

"He was upset about the terrorist attacks," said Daclan's elder sister, Iris. "He joined because he wanted to make a difference, do something for our country. He did a brave thing. He's our hero and we're very proud of him."

Daclan, 24, immigrated to Torrance from the Philippines in 1993 with Iris and their father, Edgar Sr.

The Army specialist was killed Sept. 10 when an explosive detonated while his patrol was responding to indirect fire in Balad, Iraq, the Defense Department said. Daclan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Iris Daclan, 26, said her brother never regretted enlisting in the Army two years ago. "When he was interviewed in Iraq by a newspaper, a lot of the other soldiers said they had made a mistake by joining the Army," she said. "But Edgar said he knew what he was getting into, that it was dangerous work."

Deployed to Iraq in February, Daclan was an emergency medic and usually in frontline positions.

"He sent an e-mail to a friend saying every day was like the movie 'Blackhawk Down,' " Iris said.

Aileen Daclan, 21, who is in the process of immigrating to the United States with other family members, said she bragged to college classmates in the Philippines that her brother had enlisted in the U.S. Army. "But I had no idea he'd be going to Iraq," she said. "That's when I started to get really worried."

Daclan was due home Sept. 25 for a two-week leave before returning to Iraq. "We were so excited we were going to see him again," Iris said. "It's very hard to believe he's gone."

The only boy in a family of six, Daclan was a natural in math, just like his father, who is an engineer, his family said. After graduating from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, Daclan moved to Cypress and shared an apartment with three cousins. While working two part-time jobs, he still managed to keep his grades up. "He didn't have to study as much as everyone else," Iris said. "He was just so bright."

In addition to his father and sisters Aileen and Iris, Daclan is survived by his mother, Gertrude; and sisters Cristine, Ira and Sheila. Daclan, who received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, will be buried Friday at Riverside National Cemetery.

These dead goons are just that - dead goons. They are not hereos. Imperialism doesn't produce any real heroes.

No matter how hard you try to portray them as heroes, humanity and history will judge them as imperialist goons.