Danny Phillip Dietz, Jr. was a United States Navy SEAL who was killed in the War in Afghanistan.
He was posthumously awarded the U.S. Navy's second highest award for valorous actions
in battle, the Navy Cross, on September 13, 2006.
Early life and education Dietz was born on January 26, 1980 in Aurora,
Colorado, the son of Danny Phillip, Sr. and Cindy Dietz, and the brother of Tiffany Bitz
and Eric Dietz. He spent much of his life in Littleton, Colorado and was a 1999 graduate
of Heritage High School. He earned a black belt in Taekwondo from the Korean Academy
of Taekwondo. Career
United States Navy Dietz enlisted in the U.S. Navy on August
31, 1999. Following his graduating from Recruit Training Command, Naval Station Great Lakes,
on November 27, 1999, he completed Gunner's Mate "A" School at the Naval Air Technical
Training Center in Pensacola, Florida. From there he transferred to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL
training and graduated with Class 232 in 2001. Dietz went on to attend the Basic Airborne
Course at Fort Benning in Georgia, then SEAL Qualification Training and SEAL Delivery Vehicle
Training. Immediately upon checking in at SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2 in Virginia Beach,
Virginia, on November 8, 2001, he was assigned to Task Unit Bravo as the secondary SDV pilot
and the Ordnance and Engineering Department head. In April 2005, Dietz deployed with his
Special Reconnaissance element to Afghanistan to support Naval Special Warfare Squadron
TEN in the prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism.
His larger than lifesize bronze memorial in Littleton, Colorado was created by sculptor
Robert Henderson of Canon City, Colorado. The South Wing of the Pacific Beacon Apartments
at Naval Station San Diego is named Dietz Hall as well.
Operation Red Wings
Dietz was part of an elite team of four SEALs on a reconnaissance mission "tasked with finding
a key Taliban leader in mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan," according to
a U.S. Navy news release. On June 28, 2005, SEAL Team 10 was assigned
to kill or capture a high ranking Taliban leader in the Hindu Kush mountains. The SEAL
team was made up of Michael P. Murphy, Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson.
Luttrell and Axelson were the team's snipers while Dietz and Murphy were the spotters.
According to the U.S. Navy, the team was "spotted by anti-Coalition sympathizers, who immediately
reported their position to Taliban fighters. A fierce gun-battle ensued between the four
SEALs and a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position". The SEALs radioed for
help, and a responding Chinook helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade,
killing eight more SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers. It was the second worst single combat
loss for the U.S. Navy SEALs in their history. Dietz was the first casualty of the battle,
and was killed before the helicopter's arrival. Legacy
The location of Dietz's body was unknown for seven days after his death. His remains were
recovered during a combat search and rescue operation on July 4, 2005. Dietz's body was
returned to the United States, where he was interred with full military honors. His hometown
of Littleton, Colorado honored his memory by erecting a statue of Dietz in uniform holding
a carbine, which was unveiled on July 4, 2007. This was not without controversy however.
Local parents, suggesting that the statue of Dietz glorified violence, tried to have
the statue altered. The statue, they argued, was three blocks from a school. The Littleton
city council stated that 150 emails and letters were received in support of keeping the memorial
as is, there was only one in favor of changing it. After an even larger backlash against
the parents group, the monument was erected with Dietz holding a carbine, as intended.
A section of Santa Fe Drive between I-25 and C470 has been named the "Navy Seal Danny Phillip
Dietz, Jr. Memorial Highway." Awards and decorations
In popular culture In the 2013 film Lone Survivor, Dietz is portrayed
by American actor Emile Hirsch. See also
Notes
References
Further reading Sheeler, Jim. "SEAL to receive posthumous
honor". Rocky Mountain News. p. 1. Luttrell, Marcus; Robinson, Patrick. Lone
Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.
Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-06759-1. External links
Rocky Mountain News Navy SEALs
Seal Team 8 Interview with Danny Dietz's family
Photos of the memorial to Danny Deitz at sites-of-memory.de http:www.denverpost.comci_5992004
"Danny Dietz". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-05-11.