Based: Joint Base Lewis-McChord
5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: July 24, 2010
Qalat, Afghanistan
Gender: Male
Hometown: Cypress
High School: Pacifica High (Garden Grove)
I had the good fortune to call SGT Lim a friend for the past 3 years. He was a warrior and leader of men who inspired all those about him to greater heights. His loss is a crushing blow to me personally, and to all those who knew and loved him. I cannot say enough about Daniel or the life he lead. I will never forget you brother, rest in peace.
— Steven J. Davis
July 28, 2010 at 8:25 a.m
Here's the story of Sergeant Daniel Lim from the Orange County Register:
WESTMINSTER — Whether it was tattooing the name of his beloved baby sister on his chest or spending his first Army paycheck on his parents, Daniel Lim never hesitated to demonstrate his devotion to his family.
While recently deployed in Afghanistan, Lim, an Army sergeant, stood in line for hours each week to call his parents. He wanted to reassure them that he was OK. That they had nothing to worry about.
Just a few weeks after he returned home for a break from his deployment, the 23-year-old was killed July 24 along with three other soldiers when their vehicle was attacked by insurgents with an improvised explosive device in Qalat, Afghanistan.
On Monday, hundreds of family members, friends and parishioners who had prayed for Lim's safety every week gathered at the Korean Martyrs Catholic Center in Westminster to say their final goodbyes. Burial services took place later in the day at Riverside National Cemetery, where his family received his medals for bravery.
A military guard gathered at the front of the church, while elaborate floral wreaths, a tradition in the Korean community, stood at the entrance. About a dozen motorcycle officers from various police departments lined up in tribute to the fallen soldier.
Clutching each other, Lim's grief-stricken parents, sister and relatives walked behind the soldier's flag-draped casket as it was brought into the church. Parishioners clad in black sobbed throughout the somber funeral Mass.
"What we should remember of Daniel is that he is a man who gave all, gave all for his family, his sister, his community and our country," said Nicholas Oh, Lim's godfather.
Lim grew up in Cypress and graduated from Pacifica High School in Garden Grove in 2005. His family moved to Yorba Linda about four years ago.
Lim enlisted April 13, 2006. Last year he was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The battalion deployed to Afghanistan in October 2009. The job of the combat engineers unit was to clear roadways of explosives.
Lim was also remembered as a guy who always thought of other people before himself, especially his comrades. During his recent visit to Orange County a few weeks, Lim said he had to go back to Afghanistan to be with his fellow soldiers. He worried about them.
Michael Chang, 23, of Garden Grove, eulogized his longtime best friend. Chang had attended elementary, junior and high school with Lim, and joined the Marine Corps a year after his buddy joined the Army.
"Everything he did he did to the max," Chang said. "...That overflowed into how much he loved his family."
Lim had shared such a special bond with his sister that he was lovingly dubbed "Mom." Lim, who was seven years older than his sister Esther, often watched over her after school.
He picked her up from school on his bike and took her to the neighborhood store to buy ice cream bars. He helped her with her homework, though he hated to do his own.
"I'm so thankful and proud of you for everything you did for me and everyone else," said his sister Esther, during a eulogy addressed to him.
Esther, who put a copy of the eulogy letter into the casket, promised her big brother that she would always take care of their Umma, mom, and Appa, dad.
Lim is survived by his parents Soon Yeon and Bang Woo Lim and sister Esther.
At the cemetery, an honor guard carried the flag-draped casket holding Lim's body as more than 300 family friends gathered.
A 21-gun salute was fired and taps sounded as the flag was removed from the casket and folded.
Brig. Gen. John Regan handed Lim's mother the folded flag, hisPurple Heart and Bronze Star.
"All of his fellow soldiers in his unit in Afghanistan, from his leaders, to his fellow soldiers and to those who served under him, thought the world of Daniel," said Regan. "He was a hero. We owe our lives and our freedom to heroes like Daniel."
Lim is among at least 56 members of the military from Orange County who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002, according to Orange County Register records.
The other three soldiers killed with Lim were Staff Sgt. Conrad A. Mora, 24, of San Diego; Spc. Joseph A. Bauer, 27, of Cincinnati; and Pfc. Andrew L. Hand, 25, of Enterprise, Ala.
The mother of Army Sgt. Daniel Lim, Soon Yeon Lim accepts the flag from Army Brigadier General John Regan while Lim's father, Bang Woo Lim, grieves at the service for their son held at Riverside National Cemetery Monday.
(Register Staff Writer Mark Eades contributed to this report.)
Contact the writer: 714-796-7956 or epak@ocregister.com
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