Welcome

The family and friends of Cpl. Daniel C. W. Riley, USMC, welcome you to join in as we celebrate and support the life of an incredible young man, friend, son, and brother. It is with great love and with many prayers we know that Daniel will move on to great and wonderful things. God has big plans for him! Daniel was born in Victoria, BC, Canada. In 1999 his family (Dad, Mum, brothers Tristan and Aaron, & sister Elizabeth, & cat) moved to Denver, Colorado, where his dad began working for the Episcopal Church in Colorado overseeing work with children, youth, and young adults. Daniel started high school in 1999 at Columbine High School. After three years at CHS he finished his high school at Brentwood College in Canada in 2004. After which he did some college and worked in the US and Canada. Daniel enlisted (still a Canadian citizen) in US Marine Corps in 2008 to serve his new country and to help pay for a future college education. On July 4, 2009 Daniel swore in as a US citizen before the Vice-President in Sadam Hussein's old palace in Bagdad, Iraq. In September 2010 he was sent as a combat replacement for the 2/6 Marines in Marjah, Afghanistan. On December 16, 2010, Daniel was severely wounded by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). He primarily suffered severe wounds to his legs, left arm, and left lung. There were many times he was close to not making it. He has since had both legs amputated above the knee and three fingers amputated on his left hand. His lung and other injuries are healing well. Before this event and for many years to come, we know Daniel to be a loving, caring, intellegent, humourous, giving, adventurous, and deep thinking person. Keep praying! And use this blog to share your thoughts and encouragement.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Visitors that put a smile on the guys!


Saturday, January 29, 2011 - With a fresh cup of tea in hand, I arrived back on the ward to an interesting hive of buzz. The male corpsmen were gathered near the nurses station and were all smiles and whispering to themselves. The female nurses and corpsmen were in groups of two or three shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. The gossip and chatter was thick in the air.

Something was happening on the floor. It was certainly a different vibe than when visitors were in the hospital from NCIS, military brass, or high-ranking politicians. Daniel didn't know what was up and he had not had any visitors while I was out of the room.
After a few minutes there was a knock on the door and in came someone who asked, "Are you up to having a visitor?"

"Sure," said Daniel. He then looked and asked quizically, "Who is it?"

"Miss America." was the response.

Daniel turned to me with a huge smile on his face. I sighed and rolled my eyes. These guys have had visits from generals, admirals, congressmen, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, friends, chaplains, and family; but, none got this kind of response and buzz around the ward.
It was a nice visit. The guys all loved it (these red-blooded Americans and Canadian boys certainly did). But, was slightly tempered when they found out she was only 17! ;-)

Dad
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5 comments:

  1. Cindy BukachFebruary 6, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    Tania wants to know what your girlfriend's name is.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 7, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    Glad you guys are having some fun!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    That must have been one heck of a visit. One to be remembered, that's for sure. You look happy! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. jami amoFebruary 8, 2011 at 6:26 AM

    i dare say california is treating you well so far daniel! that's a good thing. hope it is an indication of more things to come.

    ReplyDelete
  5. PaulaFebruary 13, 2011 at 7:11 AM

    You know, I don't think I'll ever look at the Miss America pageant in quite the same way. If she can lift those guys' spirits like that, more power to her!

    ReplyDelete

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