Daane DeBoer
Corporal, United States Marine Corps
February 12, 1986 – June 25, 2010
Age – 24
Ludington, MI
Operation Enduring Freedom
1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA
Killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Helmand Province
Daane DeBoer was born in Valparaiso, Indiana and attended Immanuel Lutheran School through sixth grade before moving to the Grand Rapids area and lived in Rockford until graduating from high school.
He lived in Colorado for about a year before joining the Marines in spring 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan.
Daane DeBoer enjoyed extreme sports such as skiing and hiked the 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail along the mountainous spine of the eastern U.S. while raising money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.
“The discipline of doing the trail and what he was doing it for, I think, had a huge impression on him,” David DeBoer said.
“Doing something bigger than himself. He was an exceptionally phenomenal young man who loved the Lord,” said his mother Charlene Zerrenner of Ludington, Mich. “He loved his family and he loved his country. He died a hero.”
In letters read by a pastor, friends described DeBoer as “incredibly deep, always reliable and intensely loyal. He laughed so much that, around him, there was never a dull moment.”
Lt. Michael Manning, battalion commander for DeBoer, lauded him in a note.
“Daane will be remembered for his constant professionalism and absolute loyalty to his fellow marines,” he wrote. “He was a brave man.”
Marine Cpl. Seth Jenkins, who knew DeBoer well, said he was a man of faith who was “more squared away than any other Marine I worked with.”
Innis described his friend as someone with an infectiously positive attitude and a strong desire to be in the military. He wanted to do something more, something bigger than himself. He was dedicated from the get-go,” He had talked with DeBoer about two weeks before his death. He sounded optimistic. He was doing his job. He was helping people. He loved what he was doing. Tinkering with bombs is not what I would consider enjoyable, but Daane liked it.”
As a combat engineer, DeBoer would search for mines and IEDs, clear roads and do construction demolition.