Roy vigil pays tribute to fallen soldier

ROY — Loyal, trustworthy, accepting of almost anyone — they were qualities of Army Pvt. Dan Dolan that friends and family wanted to remember Friday night at a candlelight vigil to honor the fallen soldier.

"He always thought the best of everybody," said friend Travis Todd. "He was true to everybody. You just cannot find that kind of loyalty."

Todd and three other friends organized the vigil to take place in front of the two-story brick-and-vinyl-sided home of Dolan's parents. Planning for the vigil started small and quickly grew as it became clear how many people called Dolan a friend.

"There are so many people who knew Dan," said Todd, 22, of nearby Hooper. "Everybody I'm sure misses him just as much. He's had an effect on so many lives."

Dolan, 19, was one of two Utahns who died last month in Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Adam Galvez was killed Aug. 20 when a roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle. He was buried at Camp Williams on Aug. 30. A week after Galvez was killed, Dolan was struck down when enemy forces attacked his vehicle using an explosive device and small arms fire.

Galvez and Dolan became the 17th and 18th Utahns to die in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in March 2003. As of Friday evening, the Department of Defense had reported 2,642 U.S. military deaths in Iraq since the war began.

Dolan's body is expected to arrive back in Utah about Tuesday. Funeral services are still pending.

Dolan was a Roy High School graduate who loved hockey and snowboarding. At the vigil, his friends filed in amid the flags, flowers and photos of a smiling young man whose memory inspired the words, "Dan: We are so very proud of you and we will always remember your bravery and sacrifice for our nation — God bless you."

They were the words of Danny and Rita Aguilar, who wrote them on a matte surrounding one of the photos. The Aguilars are the parents of one of Dolan's best friends, Matt Aguilar.

"He treated everyone the same," Aguilar said. "It didn't matter if you were a cool kid."

The two played baseball together when they were younger, just a few years ago. Aguilar described Dolan as the angel on his shoulder, always positive, keeping him out of trouble.

"Man, that kid was like a brother to me," Aguilar said.

As Aguilar spoke, dozens of friends held candles in the dark, the only other light coming from ladder truck 31 from the Roy City Fire Department, there to help honor Dolan.

One by one, friends took turns at a microphone, telling each other how Dolan believed in what he was doing in Iraq. They said not to let Dan's "light" die and to emulate their late friend.

Tim and Fay Dolan stood in their driveway and listened to stories about their son, being reminded of his distinctive laugh. As Fay Dolan looked out over the crowd that spilled into the blocked-off street in front of her home, she said, "It really is special."

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com