Welcome to SrA Danny Ray Sanchez Foundation

About SrA Danny Ray Sanchez Foundation

WHO WAS Daniel Ray Sanchez?

Senior Airman (SrA) Daniel Ray Sanchez was by all accounts your typical ADHD kid growing up. He loved being around people, and made friends easily. Daniel had a big heart, to know him was

to love him. He always carried a positive attitude regardless of the situation which would later prove to be an essential character trait in achieving his goals. Whatever Daniel set his mind to do, it was accomplished.

​

Daniel was a natural when it came to sports. He loved playing baseball, basketball, football, soccer and of course, skateboarding. He was good at each sport he set his mind to. He had a driving force in him that was full of hope, it was an essence of his character and motivation .

​

Daniel attended Montwood High School and it was evident that the abundance of energy he used for sports was not appreciated in the classroom.  He had a gift; he was silly and brilliant, he just wasn’t on the honor roll. That was okay though, we never wanted that from him. We knew what he was about. He just needed to give it his best shot, and that is what he did.

​

After graduating from Montwood High School in 2005, Daniel expressed his feelings of joining the United States Air Force Combat Control Team. His eagerness to defend this country stemmed from the violent acts that took place on September 11, 2001. Daniel was just 14

years old at the time but devastated as he watched our country being attacked.

Daniel set off to basic training as a young 18 year old man, following his dreams in San Antonio, Texas. After 7 weeks of this training, he tried out for the special forces’ Combat Control Team.

He was one of two hundred young men who strived to be a Combat

Controller in the following weeks but only sixty of them made the cut and went on to continue  further rigorous training at Pope Air Force base in North Carolina. The arduous combat training as well as demanding combat dive courses proved too much for many of those

who attempted this feat. Of those sixty young men who were put through even further harsh extremes to include cold weather training and meticulous air traffic control school, only eight graduated as members of the Elite Special Tactics Team of Combat Controllers. Daniel was one of eight young men who put on the Red Beret that day.  Their motto:

“First There….ThatOthers May Live.”

​

We are so very proud of Daniel. His amazing confidence, his perseverance, his fortitude, his

bravery, his positive attitude and his incredible sense of genuine love for his family, friends and this country is what propelled him to achieve his dream. He is a true hero in our eyes.

On September 16, 2010, six men wearing red berets walked up to the front door of the home where Daniel grew up. The hearts of many were shattered by the ring of a doorbell that overcast, gloomy afternoon. The devastating news of Daniel’s death shook the entire

neighborhood and homes of hundreds of his biggest fans. He was shot and killed by an Afghan insurgent in a fire fight during one of the several missions he led when in Afghanistan. Many tears were shed that day, many tears continue to fall now. His infectious smile, his vibrant green eyes, his contagious laugh and his tight hugs are memories that will live on in our hearts forever. He was awarded posthumously the Bronze Star Medal with Valor; a Purple Heart

Medal and the Air Force Combat Action Medal; he is the wind beneath our wings and someone his friends and family continue to look up to even today.

​

Daniel lived his short 23 years of life to the fullest. He lived for the moment and he did so without complaints, without whining and without feeling sorry for himself. He was a true

warrior in all his efforts. He had the guts to always strive for the best of himself, even if it was just “average” to others. That is why he gave the ultimate sacrifice; because he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. He exemplified the Combat Controllers’ motto; first there, so that others may live. All give some, but Daniel....gave all.

​

SrA Daniel Ray Sanchez will continue to brighten up our days, fill our lives with hope, love and the guts to live life to its fullest.

​

Thank you for never forgetting SrA Daniel Ray Sanchez and the other fallen soldiers who so bravely give of themselves for our freedom.