1st Lt. Daniel A. Weiss

LT Weiss served with Alpha Company 1-17th Inf, 2nd Inf Div (Stryker) of which I was the First Sergeant in Afghanistan 2010. LT Weiss was the consumate professional and epitomized those values that Soldiers hold close to their hearts.

I will miss you Dan, I know that you are on the high ground providing overwatch on those still in harms way. Rest easy, Sir those you have mentored, trained and lead have the battle.

1st Lt. Daniel A. Weiss

April 10, 1986 - March 05, 2012

1st LT Daniel Weiss, 25, served as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Attack Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He was born in Santa Monica, CA. His brother wanted to name him Stinkor; his parents thought otherwise. His earliest years were spent in Culver City, CA, which he always considered home. In 1993, he moved with his family to Naperville, IL, where he went on to once get stuck in the revolving door at Michael Jordan’s Restaurant, make the short movie “Coffee Boy”, about a coffee boy, filmed on location in the woods behind his house, and graduate early from Naperville Central High School in order to enlist in the Army.

Danny deployed three times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His service began as a Rifleman and SAW Gunner with the 173rd Airborne in Afghanistan in 2005. Between deployments, he earned a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In two years. Subsequently, he received his commission as an Infantry Officer, serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Afghanistan with the 1-17 Infantry, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He was then chosen to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment and assigned to 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, WA and deployed with 2/75 in late 2011. Following combat, he was assigned as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Attack Company. His awards and decorations include US Army Ranger Course and Airborne School, the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and Airborne Wings.

To become the best warrior possible, he refused to drink, smoke, or consume a frivolous calorie of any kind. He worked out voraciously and read with the same intensity on a multitude of topics, from Rudyard Kipling to Karl Pilkington. To extract a smile from Danny, all one had to do was mention Mr. Pilkington’s constant struggles with his boiler. His smile snuck up the side of his mouth, no matter how hard he tried to stifle it, often growing into an undeniable laugh soon shared by all present. Sometime during the night of March 4, 2012, he took his own life.

Danny will be remembered as a soldier, an officer, a leader; a son, a brother, my hero. He is survived by his parents, Andy and Julianne, his brother, A.J., and his brothers in arms. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc. 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850-5168 (fisherhouse.org), or Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030 (doctorswithoutborders.org). A visitation will be held on Sunday, March 11, 2012 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM followed by a memorial service at 4:00 PM at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill St. Naperville IL. 60540. If you are a veteran or active duty service member in need of confidential support, please call the Veterans Crisis Line, 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, send a text message to 838255, or chat online at veteranscrisisline.net.