Army 1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan

Remember Our Heroes

Army 1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan, 24, of St. Louis

1st Lt. Riordan was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died June 23, 2007 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Sgt. Joel A. House, Sgt. Jimy M. Malone and Spc. Derek A. Calhoun.

Funeral set for St. Louis-area soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — The military will present the family of a soldier killed in Iraq with the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star at his funeral.

The funeral Mass for First Lt. Daniel Riordan of Sunset Hills will be at 10 a.m. June 30 at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church.

Burial will follow at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County.

Riordan and three others were killed June 23 by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad.

The 24-year-old was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He grew up in south St. Louis County, and graduated from Vianney High School and Southeast Missouri State University.

He became an Army officer in November 2005 and had been in Iraq since October.

Friends remember St. Louis soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

There were things about Army 1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan that reminded Chris Shank of his brother, Jeremy Shank, who died in Iraq in September.

“He was a good guy, he knew exactly what he wanted, he was really motivated and he’d bend over backwards to help out anybody,” Shank said. “All you had to do was ask.”

Riordan, 24, of St. Louis, was killed June 23 by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq. He was a 2005 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.

His former principal, Larry Keller, said Riordan sent e-mails almost weekly to his old high school, writing about his soldiers and their dangerous work.

“We could tell he was a real leader,” Keller said. “It was obvious that he was constantly in harm’s way. He never wrote about politics, but always from the point of view of the mission. He was proud to be part of something for our country.”

His family called Riordan “a true cowboy and gentleman who loved country music, the outdoors and his family.” He was active in the Boy Scouts, ran track and played football.

He is survived by his parents, Rick Riordan and Jeanine Rainey, and stepmother, Michelle Riordan.

Army 1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan was killed in action on 6/23/07.