Another fine young man to be honored.
Sculpture to honor fallen SEAL
Fundraiser aims to lure $30,000 for Littleton memorial
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LITTLETON – Danny P. -Dietz, the 25-year-old Navy SEAL killed last year in one of the worst single combat losses of life for American forces since 2001, will soon be immortalized in his hometown with a bronze sculpture.”A memorial in honor of my brother is just one more piece of the puzzle that helps our family cope with his loss,” said Dietz’s sister, Tiffany Bitz, during a fundraiser Friday at the Littleton Historical Museum.
Just feet from where Bitz stood as she delivered her speech, her brother’s faded boots and his camouflage pants sat in a glass case. The clothes were some of the items the Dietz family received a couple of months after his death.
The fundraiser, which featured a silent auction, was co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Littleton. The money raised will go toward the $30,000 memorial next to Berry Park, 3400 W. Berry Ave.
Dedication of the memorial is planned for next year on the Fourth of July, the day Dietz’s body was recovered.
Dietz, a graduate of Heritage High School, was part of a four-man reconnaissance team in Afghanistan looking for a key militia leader.
He died June 28, 2005, battling as many as 40 Taliban fighters who surrounded Dietz and his team members at nightfall in the Afghan mountains.
A Chinook helicopter carrying eight other SEALs and an eight-member Army NightStalker team sent as reinforcements was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing everyone aboard.
Dietz’s actions have been recognized as having enabled the rescue of the lone survivor from his team.
“He would never let anything happen to anyone,” said Bitz, 24. “He would’ve done anything to save somebody else over himself. And I truly believe that’s why there was one survivor.”
In September, Dietz was awarded the Navy Cross, an honor second only to the Medal of Honor, and the Navy’s highest accolade.
The plaque recognizing Dietz read that he “fought valiantly against the numerically superior and positionally advantaged enemy force.” Even though he was wounded, “he bravely fought on, valiantly defending his teammates and himself.”
“I love my brother – I am so proud of him,” Bitz said.
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