"Please Go Here For Myspace on Daniel -
http://www.myspace.com/danielmorganmcvicker "
Thank You -BHW
Son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend and American hero, Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Morgan McVicker is home - back in the West Branch area where he grew up and went to school. He was a 2003 graduate of West Branch High School.
And according to Mitch Funkhouser, the young Marine’s pastor, Daniel McVicker is also safely home in Heaven with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
McVicker, 20, who died Oct. 6 while serving in Iraq, was laid to rest Monday afternoon at Highland Memorial Park where hundreds came to honor him and support his family.
He the son of William and Carey McVicker Meissner and Mark and Irma McVicker, all of Alliance.
The Purple Heart Commendation medal was presented to his family during the funeral service held at 11 a.m. at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home in Alliance with Funkhouser, pastor of the First Brethren Church of North Georgetown, officiating.
A funeral home spokesperson said about 400 people attended the service. All three rooms downstairs were filled, with people standing along the walls, and the upstairs, historic portion of the funeral home was also opened to accommodate mourners.
Irma McVicker said between calling hours Sunday evening and the funeral, the list of names was just shy by 15 of 1,800 people paying respects to the fallen Marine.
Pockets of people gathered along the funeral procession route on Union Avenue in Alliance and on U.S. Route 62 headed east to Highland. Many people held or waved American or U.S. Marine Corps flags.
At one point, near the new Alliance Community Hospital on East State Street, a ladder truck from the Alliance Fire Department with a ladder truck across the street from the Sebring Fire Department formed an arch with an American flag hanging in the middle for the funeral procession to drive under.
The Rev. Funkhouser said before McVicker went to Iraq, he would have been in a group of “two kinds of people” that the military chaplain would have spoken to, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and those who have not. He said the chaplain would have told them about the love God has for them through Jesus Christ.
“Dan was in the group who have already given their lives to Jesus Christ,” the pastor said. “When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, He is with us wherever we go from North Carolina to the sands somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan.”
“Dan’s detail had a motto, ‘Follow Me,’” the minister added. “Follow me; those are the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:19,” he pointed out. “It implies the person saying this is a leader, you can trust them.”
Funkhouser said in the New Testament book of John, Jesus says, “I am the way.”
“At some point in time, Dan made a commitment to Jesus Christ,” Funkhouser continued. “He didn’t have to be afraid. When we give our lives to God, we can’t be touched because when we draw our last breath, we have our God on the other side saying, “Follow me. I will take you home.”
Funkhouser said Daniel McVicker “is in Heaven today, not because he was a good Marine, good son, brother, nephew, or hero, although he was all of those; he is in Heaven because he gave his life to Christ. He heard the call from Christ and he answered.”
During the service, McVicker’s sister read a poem, “The Final Inspection,” about a soldier facing God in which God tells the soldier, “To my church, you have been true. Step forward, walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets, you have done your time in Hell.”
Corp. Ben Fidler, McVicker’s roommate at the Marine base at Cherry Point, N.C., said, “Dan was one in a million. He is going to be greatly missed. He had a million friends. There was no one who didn’t like him. Everyone wishes they could be here today.”
Tyler Hapeman, who said he met McVicker at Cherry Point, said “He had a really good character, was always smiling, never dull. We had a lot of fun.
“He went down doing what he wanted to do,” said Hapeman. McVicker had volunteered to serve in Iraq.
Two of McVicker’s aunts, both from Atwater, shared memories of him prior to the service. Crying, Dorothy Clites said she never saw Danny without a smile. The last time she saw him was last Christmas Eve when the family was together at her home with all his cousins. “Those are my last memories,” she said. “He was one of my babies.”
Angie Wiley added, “He was a very well-mannered boy, a good kid. He was active in church.”
After the burial service was completed, two women stood silently paying respect to Danny McVicker. Mable “Lou” McLean said she was there because McVicker was “part of the West Branch family, a Warrior, a Marine.”
Marlene Tuel said that her granddaughter, Taylor Woods, had gone to school with McVicker and had told her that she never saw him without a smile and that McVicker “could talk to anyone; no one was a stranger to him.”
McVicker, and three other Marines, all serving with the Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, were killed on Oct. 6 when a roadside bomb blew up near the Humvee McVicker was driving near the city of Kharmah which is near Fallujah and 40 miles west of Baghdad.
