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Military officials carry a flag-draped casket from a jet at the South Bend Regional Airport to the family of Sgt. Daniel Frazier, formerly of Niles and St. Joseph, who was killed Nov. 18 in Afghanistan. (Daily Star photo/KATIE JOHNSON)
By KATIE JOHNSON
Niles Daily Star
SOUTH BEND – American flags fluttered under an overcast sky as members of the Indiana Patriot Guard assembled with their motorcycles.
But the bikers weren’t there for a morning road trip – they had a job to do.
The body of Sgt. Daniel Frazier, who was formerly of Niles and St. Joseph and stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., came home at approximately 9:40 a.m. Friday to the Atlantic South Bend Terminal, where a hearse and procession of police officers, the Patriot Guard and family traveled to Brown Funeral Home in Niles.
“It’s an honor to do so; I’m a Marine veteran myself,” said Dennis Francis senior ride captain with the Indiana Patriot Guard. “It’s an honor to be able to show the families and fallen warriors the respect he has earned.
“Their actions probably saved a lot of people in their unit,” Francis said Friday.
“Freedom isn’t free,” a comrade added.
Frazier, 25, was killed Nov. 18 in the Afghanistan Province of Zabul during his second tour of duty with the United States Army. According to the Defense Department, Frazier and Staff Sgt. John Cleaver, of Marysville, Wash., died of injuries from a suicide car bomber attack while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They were assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
Frazier was born on Jan. 9, 1984 in Berrien Springs. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in St. Joseph in 2003 and enlisted in the Army in 2005 at age 22.
Frazier is the son of David (Sheri) Frazier, of Niles, and Roxana Walter, of Pace, Fla. He also leaves a wife whom he married on March 21, 2009, Brittany Frazier, of Fayetteville, N.C.
Visitation will be held Sunday at Brown Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m., with a celebration honoring Frazier’s life Monday at 11 a.m. at the Michiana Christian Embassy in Niles.
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm has ordered United States flags throughout the state of Michigan and on Michigan waters lowered for one day Monday in honor of Frazier.
He will be laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
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