Cpl. Daegan Page buried in Omaha National Cemetery

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The community said its last goodbye Friday to Omaha Marine Cpl. Daegan Page.

The funeral of Cpl. Page, killed Aug. 26 in an attack on Kabul airport in Afghanistan, was held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Cpl. Page was buried with full military honors Friday at Omaha National Cemetery. His family, friends and community came together to honor him, support his family and sort out their emotions.

“We felt helpless, angry, disappointed, frustrated, confused and alone in the depths of our grief. We also fear that we cannot live again without Daegan in our lives,” said Reverend Suzanne Howe.

Even during this difficult time, Cpl. Page’s memory and his smile may have brought a moment of relief to the bereaved.

“We celebrate him for helping us, remember his smile, remember his laugh, remember his energy, maybe not the mustache, but we will remember his heart,” said the vicar Doug Rothgeb.

“When I spoke to the family, we agreed Daegan didn’t do anything halfway, he did everything with love,” Pastor Howe said.

Pastor Howe advised that Cpl. Page loved his life and his family and he was willing to sacrifice it all for others.

“Because the day Daegan Page was murdered by a coward, because if there had been a fair fight, Daegan and those Marines would have prevailed,” Pastor Howe said.

“He gave light everywhere he went and you can’t put that light out – it’s not out.”

Omaha police escorted the motorcade to the cemetery. The processional route started from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church along 144th Street South to the Omaha National Cemetery.

There was a service at the cemetery, but funeral services were private.

The community also lined up Thursday night for visitation ahead of Friday’s funeral.

Earlier this month, Governor Pete Ricketts ordered all U.S. and Nebraska flags to fly at half-mast after 9/11 in honor of Cpl. Page, a graduate of Millard South High School. On Friday, the governor ordered the flags to return to full staff statewide by sundown Friday.

Copyright 2021 WOWT. All rights reserved.