NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WBBJ) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Tommy Baker, and Tennessee Adjutant General, Major General Warner A. Ross II paid tribute to three service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the State’s Memorial Day Ceremony on Friday morning.
United States Marine Corps, Private First-Class Daniel B. McClenney from Shelbyville, TN dedicated his life to Service, Honor, and Country. He graduated from Shelbyville Central High School just one year before answering the call to serve in the United States Marine Corps. Assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of an additional 2,000 Marines sent to reinforce coalition operations during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Only two months into his deployment, he and his fellow Marines were engaged in combat near Bari Khout, in the rugged terrain of eastern Afghanistan. On June 24, 2004, at just 19 years old, he was killed by hostile fire during a skirmish near the Afghanistan‑Pakistan border. He was one of two Marines who gave their lives that day while supporting efforts to dismantle Taliban and al‑Qaida networks.
Randy McClenney, his father, remembers him as a young man of unwavering courage and deep personal conviction. He dreamed of returning home after his service to become a police officer, continuing his commitment to protecting others…