VERNAL — Jared McKeachnie knew he could always count on Daniel Gurr.
Gurr played soccer for McKeachnie at Uintah High School. He was the sweeper — the last defender standing between attacking players and the team's goalie — and he played the position with a zeal and aggressiveness that could change a game and stop opponents "dead in their tracks," McKeachnie said.
"Typically it meant running at full speed, sliding in front of the guy with the ball, having the player trip, twist and fly through the air to the ground," Gurr's former coach said.
"He would just destroy them; flick them like a booger," McKeachnie added, drawing chuckles from the hundreds who gathered Saturday in the Glines LDS Stake Center to honor Gurr.
The 21-year-old Marine sergeant was killed Aug. 5 when he was hit by enemy fire while on a foot patrol near Malozai, in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, according to the Defense Department.
Gurr, whose lifelong dream was to serve in the Marine Corps, enlisted before his senior year in high school with the permission of his parents.
McKeachnie remembered him as someone who "knew what he was and where he was going." He treated everyone the same, the coach said, and always took time to ensure that the needs of others were met.
"I don't know if there was a person I respected more than him," McKeachnie said, quoting a teammate of Gurr's who is currently serving an LDS mission in Brazil. "He was a true, loyal and dedicated friend. His leadership was unforgettable."
Gurr took that leadership and desire to serve others with him when he enlisted. Marine Staff Sgt. Zack Burgart served with Gurr in Okinawa, Japan, and remembered that he was willing to tackle any job, whether it was the most exhilarating task or the most mundane.
"He was always there with that goofy grin on his face," he recalled.
When he learned of Gurr's death, Burgart said he immediately contacted Dover Air Force Base, where all casualties are returned to the U.S. from Iraq and Afghanistan, and asked for the honor of escorting his friend's remains back to Vernal.
"It has been the most uplifting and honorable experience of my life," Burgart said. "To see so many members of this community rally for one man and one family, it truly shows what we have lost."
Gov. Gary Herbert also lamented the great loss the state has suffered as a result of Gurr's death but also noted that Gurr's decision to serve was a blessing.
"We have a better country, we have a better state and we have a better world because of his life," the governor said, before quoting John 15:13:
"No greater love hath any man than to lay down his life for his friends," Herbert said. "Daniel Gurr had many friends — some that he knew, and some that he didn't know — but he laid down his life for his friends and we are better off for his service to us.
"We have opportunities to improve our communities, our state, our country and the world by following the example of Sgt. Daniel Gurr," Herbert added.
Following the memorial service, Gurr's flag-draped casket passed between two rows of leather-clad motorcyclists holding American flags as it was carried from the stake center to a waiting hearse.
A processional then wound through Vernal, as scores of people stood in silent tribute and hundreds of American flags fluttered in the breeze.
More flags and more people were waiting at Vernal Memorial Park, where 19 Marines from Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment based in Salt Lake City rendered military honors.
After a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps, the honor guard presented folded American flags Gurr's mother and father.
Gurr's great aunt, Jane Gurr, called the memorial service and the community support for the family in the past week "awe inspiring."
"To me, it was beyond words," she said. "He was an awesome young man. It's great to see the community's love for his family."
Email: geoff@ubstandard.com
Twitter: GeoffLiesik