Soldier Honored: Daniel A. Quintana

2021-Daniel A. Quintana
Dates: Died September 10, 2011
Hometown: Park, California
Branch of Service: Army
Rank: Staff Sergeant

Staff Sergeant Daniel Quintana, 30, of Huntington Park, Calif., was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany. He died Sept. 10, 2011, in the Paktika province of Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.

As a young boy, SSG Quintana loved playing sports and his favorite football team was the Dallas Cowboys. He left southern California to join a Job Corps program in San Jose. He had been struggling in school at the time and saw the program as a way to catch up on credits and obtain a diploma. The program shaped him into a more “driven” individual, his father said. SSG Quintana enlisted in the Air Force as soon as he graduated.

After finishing his tour of duty in Spain, Quintana returned to Huntington Park for a few months then enlisted in the Army in 2005. SSG Quintana served two tours in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan Even after he was struck in the chest and fell to the ground, SSG Quintana continued to cover for soldiers behind him.

SSG Quintana is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons, one of whom is a Folds of Honor Higher Education scholarship recipient.


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