(reprinted from the Odessa
American, TX, April 17, 2004)
Family, community remember
‘Danny’
Marine Cpl. Daniel Amaya, at a height of 6-foot-3, lived
every inch of life, the Rev. Curtis Brewer said at a memorial service Wednesday for the
fallen soldier.
“He enjoyed life. He lived it to the fullest,” Brewer said from the pulpit of
First Baptist Church of Odessa.
Brewer said Amaya lived a full life beyond his service to his country. That life included
skydiving, bungee jumping, skiing, cheerleading and playing in the school band.
Brewer spoke to a gathering of about 200 people in an hourlong service.
Friends and family members wept during the service, which featured emotional musical
tributes.
Amaya’s mother, Kacey Carpenter of Odessa, learned of her 22-year-old son’s
death Sunday after she and her family returned to their home in Odessa from Easter
services.
Amaya, a rifleman with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine
Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, was killed Saturday, while serving in Iraq.
He was shot twice by hostile fire while on duty in the Al Anbar Province in Iraq.
Marines presented Kacey Carpenter with a Purple Heart for Amaya’s wounds in battle,
which led to his death.
Carpenter said the number of Amaya’s friends and former classmates who attended the
service Wednesday overwhelmed her.
Marine Cpl. Gary Reyes, who was in Odessa on Wednesday on leave, said he worked with Amaya
at the Sonic on Andrews Highway when they were teenagers. He reunited with Amaya while
they were serving in Kuwait in 2003. Reyes said he will be deployed again in May.
“At work he was funny, he was crazy,” Reyes said. “The service was sad.
It’s sad to see a friend and fellow brother in arms killed.”
Reyes said it was an honor to know Amaya. “I thank God for bringing this person into
my life and that I had a chance to meet a good person like that,” he said after the
service.
Amaya’s life was remembered in song and pictures. “America the Beautiful,”
the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Song for the Heroes,” “Wind
Beneath My Wings,” and “Danny Boy” were played as photos from Amaya’s
childhood were shown.
Brewer said he learned a lot about Amaya from his family, which included stepfather, David
Carpenter; brother Joe Amaya; stepbrother Aaron Carpenter; and stepsister Victoria
Carpenter. His father Tom Amaya lives in El Paso.
The memorial service portrayed Amaya as a true Marine and friend.
“Kacey told me one of Daniel’s best days in the Corps was when he received his
blood stripes. The red stripes that go down the dress uniform,” Brewer said.
“They don’t come with the pants, you earn them.”
Brewer reminded Amaya’s friends and family about the young Marine’s life.
Amaya was born in 1982, and moved to Odessa with his family in 1994.
“He took to the city immediately. His friends were his prized possession,”
Brewer said.
While Amaya was a Marine, most importantly he was a Christian, Brewer said. At age 7,
Amaya professed his faith in Christ and was baptized at a YMCA.
“This past weekend we celebrated Easter, but Dan celebrated eternity,” Brewer
said.
Brewer said he asked Kacey Carpenter what her son’s different names meant.
“Danny Boy I asked and her eyes sparkled and she said ‘great kid.’ Dan, and
she said ‘young man.’ Daniel Ray, and she said that usually means he’s in
trouble,” Brewer told the crowd. “I said ‘Marine Cpl. Daniel R.
Amaya,’ and she said ‘proud.’ ”
Brewer invoked a Bible passage from Revelation 21:1-4, which speaks of Heaven and a place
where there will be no more tears. He referred to John 14:1, which states do not let your
heart be troubled.
Brewer gave a sermon about how people question “why” when good people die. He
said on this earth people face the consequences of evil, but that Christians have hope
that God is ultimately in control.
Amaya will be buried Monday in El Paso. Arrangements are being handled by Kaster-Maxon
Funeral Homes in El Paso.
Amaya joined the Marine Corps July 17, 2000, and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th
Regiment on March 2, 2003. He was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 to
liberate Baghdad in 2003. His unit returned from Iraq in May 2003.
Amaya returned to Iraq in February for a second time, according to a Department of Defense
statement.
His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Presidential Unit
citation, National Defense Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The Purple Heart was added to that list on Wednesday.
Cpl. Daniel Amaya, U.S.M.C (KIA)