Schofield soldier
remembered

Sgt. Daniel Galvan's tearful
funeral is held in Texas after
his death in Afghanistan

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LUBBOCK, Texas >> The father of a Hawaii-based soldier killed in Afghanistan told those gathered at his son's funeral that "it felt like somebody had ripped out my heart" the day he heard that Sgt. Daniel Lee Galvan's Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.

"I don't know how I made it the eight miles home," Ernest Galvan said yesterday at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Lubbock.

Sgt. Daniel Lee Galvan, 30, a helicopter crew chief, was flying Marines to a "hotspot of Taliban terrorists" on Aug. 12 when a malfunction in his helicopter led to the crash, his father told The Monitor in McAllen.

Galvan, of Moore, Okla., was the only one of the 13 passengers to die.

Hundreds of family members and friends attended the service, which lasted about an hour. Fighting back tears, Daniel Galvan's wife, Sonya, spoke about how much her husband will be missed.

All three of Ernest Galvan's sons served their country. Ernest Galvan, a retired master sergeant, said he told Daniel to go to college, but Daniel said he wanted to be a pilot.

Galvan, who also is survived by two stepchildren, was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, at Schofield Barracks.

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