Family Member Remembers Moore Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

Jennifer Pierce, News 9 and News 9.com

MOORE, Oklahoma -- Another Oklahoma soldier has died in Afghanistan. 1st Lt. Damon Leehan of Moore is the seventh Oklahoman to die in Afghanistan in the past few weeks.

08/16/2011 Related Story: Seventh Oklahoma Soldier Dies In Action.

This was Lt. Leehan second tour in Afghanistan, his family says he will always be remembered as a hero.

During Lt. Leehan's final days in Afghanistan, he served with the Oklahoma Army National Guard as an Infantry officer.

"Damon was a precious man there is no one you will find who didn't love Damon," says Tiffany Nance, Lt. Leehan's sister-in-law.

Nance says Lt. Leehan was not only devoted to his country, but to his wife.

"He was very in love with my sister," Nance says.

Lt. Leehan was also devoted to his two young children, Emma and Ethan. Nance says he would want to be remembered as a family man.

One of Lt. Leehan's uniforms was made into a diaper bag, and his children had their own daddy doll.

"It's a picture of their dad in uniform and says daddy loves," Nance says.

Nance says there are no words for their loss.

"We are just taking it one hour at a time, we're not even to getting through a day at a time yet," Nance says. "We are only surviving this because of god and the prayers of friends and family."

Damon's wife could not speak on camera because she is on her way to Dover, Delaware to collect her husband or his first dignified transfer.

A funeral date has not been set, but Lt. Leehan's family says he will be buried next to his father-in-law who was his mentor, and also served in the military.