Macedon, N.Y. –Sergeant First Class Daniel Metcalfe was honored at a memorial service Thursday morning. The 29-year-old member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade was killed by insurgent gunfire on Saturday in Afghanistan.
Two hundred friends and loved ones and 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders gathered at a funeral home in Macedon.
“Daniel gave his all for us,” a pastor told the mourners.
Metcalfe grew up in Penfield and joined the army when he was 18. He was based in Italy, where he met his wife, Vesna. They had three young children.
“When my grandkids get older, they’re going to know about Daniel and what a hero he was,” said stepmother Mary Metcalfe. “He lost his life to serve our country.”
After the service the Palmyra American Legion performed a brief ceremony and gave an American flag to Metcalfe’s widow and children.
“I hope she felt honored,” said Raymond Freyn of the American Legion. “Proud of her husband’s job and what he did for the country.”
There will be a memorial service at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
