We were very saddened to learn of the loss of one of my daughter's closest friends from Warren High School on September 5th in Balad, Iraq. Dane Balcon, 19, a PFC with the Army's 1st Cav was lost when his vehicle was hit by an IED. His loss has not been covered by San Antonio media, probably because Dane transferred from Warren High School to a school in Colorado Springs, CO. Dane's mom serves in the Air Force there. People who live in Creekside, the neighborhood just south of the GNW will certainly remember Dane.When we first met Dane, he was a very tiny kid, and it is tough to get that image out of our minds. He had such an engaging personality that it was impossible not to like him. He was a member of Warren High Schools Silver Guards drill team as part of the Air Force Junior ROTC program. Though he transferred, he stayed in touch with my daughter and all of his ROTC friends.
When we last saw him in May (he visited after my daughter graduated from Air Force Basic), he had grown so tall I couldn't believe it was the same "little" kid. Dane told me that he was ready to go do his job in Iraq and was eager to get started.
