Several days ago I got the tragic news that an old friend and dear classmate had passed away while serving his country in Africa. The news has left me with a profound sadness. In recent years, most knew my friend as Captain Daniel Utley, a soldier serving in the US Army. For me, Dan is the smart, funny, and sensitive boy that I grew up with in Glasgow, Kentucky. He’s the one I went to when I forgot to do my homework and needed to copy an answer, the one I went to when I needed to laugh. He was the boy who was always silly, yet more mature than anyone else I knew. He was the sweet, compassionate and understanding guy who accompanied a bunch of his girlfriends to the Senior Prom because they were too cool to find traditional dates.
Dan and I went to the same elementary school and I can’t even recall when we met. He’s simply a permanent fixture in a multitude of charming childhood memories. While we were good friends in our younger years, we struck a particular chord with each other in high school when our political interests crossed paths. Dan had taken the lead as the prominent young Democrat in our community, while I was attending Lincoln Day Dinners and campaigning for Bob Dole. Our points of view were different, but we shared a passion and respect for one another that only we could understand. Dan and I never dated, but we had a standing agreement. When we grew up, we would get married and have two children. They would be a boy and a girl and we would appropriately name them Reagan and Carter. We wanted to be our generation’s James Carville and Mary Matalin.
From a young age I knew I wanted to be an Air Force officer. When I left high school and set off for college, our friends expected this was the path I would chose. Conversely, we were certain Dan would become a top notch lawyer, a politician, and certainly our future President. No one anticipated that our friend who often entertained us with amusing dance moves and quirky music would find his calling in the Army. With college complete, I followed my predicted path, and while I’m proud of my service, I can’t hold a candle to the bravery, dedication, and heroics shown by Captain Utley.
We may not have expected Dan to join the Army, but we did expect him to continue his lifelong dedication to helping people. And that’s exactly what he did. Due to the nature of his work, we may never know the details surrounding Capt Dan Utley’s death, but I’m certain we are safer today because of it. Dan, your time with us was too short, but we will do our best to honor your memory. God speed dear friend. You were loved and admired by many and will be missed by all. I am proud and humbled to have known you.
Note: As a token of honor and respect, several members of the Glasgow High School, Class of 1997, have set up a memorial scholarship fund in honor of Dan. For those interested in making a contribution, please send your donations to:
Glasgow Independent School Education Foundation
Glasgow Board of Education
1108 Cleveland Avenue
Glasgow, KY 42141