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September 17, 2004

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By Rick Emert,
Stars and Stripes European Edition

Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr.
The memorial display for Spc. Edgar Daclan Jr. at a service in the chapel on Ledward Barracks on Wednesday.

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.

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