Penfield, N.Y. – A soldier who spent most of his childhood in the Rochester area was killed in Afghanistan, according to his father.
Sergeant First Class Daniel Metcalfe, was killed by small arms fire Saturday when his unit was attacked while on patrol, Tom Metcalfe said. Daniel Metcalfe was on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan.
“He was proud to serve his country,” Tom Metcalfe said while driving to Dover Air Force Base to meet his son’s body. “I hated to lose him, knew that was always a possibility, but he was a good man.”
Daniel Metcalfe attended Penfield High School from 1997 to 2000, when he left to get his GED. He joined the Army when he was 18.
He quickly rose through the ranks of the 173rd Airborne Division. He was known for his leadership abilities.
A 2008 article from a military news service described a raid on insurgents. Daniel Metcalfe talked about encouraging village elders to work with coalition forces and his love of the job. “All in all, it was a pretty good success out there. It's what we do, and it was a pretty good feeling coming back.”
Daniel Metcalfe’s unit was based in Italy, where he met his wife, Vesna. They had three children. Their Facebook pages are filled with pictures of their family. Vesna
posted a video she said her husband made during his first tour in Afghanistan called “A Story of Love.”
Tom Metcalfe is not sure where funeral services will be held. He said there will likely be a Rochester area memorial service.
