ELMWOOD PARK, IL, U.S.A.
U.S. MARINE CORPS
LCPL, 3RD COMBAT ENGINEER BN, 1ST MAR DIV, I MEF, TWENTY NINE PALMS, CA
11/05/2011, HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
Nicholas Daniels graduated from St. Patrick High School in Chicago in 2004 and was an all-conference football player, returning a few years after graduation as an assistant coach.
“He was a man of great laughter and emotion but also passion- not just for sports but for his spirituality,” St. Patrick’s campus minister Richard Raho said.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 2010. Becoming a Marine, according to his sister was “something Daniels always wanted to do.” Nick was the eldest of four siblings.
He received several military awards and decorations, including the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
He had planned to marry his fiance after he returned home from deployment.
“He was glad to go and fight for our country, and he made the greatest sacrifice,” his grandmother, Susie Daniels explained.
He’s survived by his parents, two brothers, a sister and his fiance Katie O’Neill.