Honor your hero with thoughts, memories, images and stories.
A MARSOC Marine who was killed during a 2012 battle with insurgents in Afghanistan will be awarded the military’s third-highest award for valor.
Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price’s family will receive the Silver Star Medal from Col. Andrew Milburn, Marine Special Operations Regiment commanding officer, during a ceremony today at the Central Wesleyan Church in Price’s hometown of Holland, Mich. The ceremony will be held on Price’s second death anniversary. “The Silver Star is given for conspicious gallantry and valor,” said Capt. Barry Morris, the public affairs officer for MARSOC at Camp Lejeune. “Gunnery Sgt. Price’s actions were truly and extraordinarily heroic, and we are proud that his actions are honored and recognized. We will always be inspired by the actions of our fallen brothers and we will strive to operate at a level that honors them.”
Price, 27, was killed on July 29, 2012, while he was assisting Afghan commandos secure an enemy stronghold near the town of Bala Bokan. According to the award citation, Price and his Marines were under heavy small arms fire, when three commandos became wounded. He then volunteered to accompany his team chief and moved wounded commandos to a protected landing zone for medevac. Price continued to assist his team chief by gathering additional ammunition and moving across open land to relief Afghan commandos but was killed during the attack.
Price, who served nine years in the Marine Corps, joined MARSOC in January 2008. A former reconaissance Marine, Price has served six combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His other awards include a Bronze Star with combat V, Purple Heart, three Combat Action Ribbons and three Good Conduct Medals.
Dan had an intense sense of justice. When the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001, in the beginning of his junior year in high school, Dan was livid about that cowardly act of war. The attack was the deciding factor determining Dan's career choice. He never quit at anything, and his drive and determination helped him succeed at everything. Dan was a hardworking, home-schooled kid from West Michigan who loved his God, his family, and his country. He was one of the best of the best; a Marine Raider who was respected by his peers of over-achievers. You can read Dan's biography "No Stray Bullets: The Making of an American Hero" by Ruth Price. It is available in paperback or Kindle on Amazon.