Southeast graduate dies in Iraq

Those who knew 1st Lt. Dan Riordan said it was always clear that what he wanted out of life was to be a soldier.

Riordan achieved his goal in November 2005, when he became an officer in the U.S. Army after graduating that same year from Southeast Missouri State University. He was deployed to Iraq a year later with the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry in Fort Hood, Texas.

On Saturday Riordan's mission ended abruptly when he and three other soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq.

Riordan, 24, was from St. Louis, but during his four years at Southeast he left a lasting impression on those he dealt with on a day-to-day basis.

Chris Shank, brother of another slain soldier, Jeremy Shank of Jackson, was in Southeast's ROTC program with Riordan and says the two formed a strong friendship. Shank heard of Riordan's death over the weekend, before official confirmation was released by the Pentagon on Tuesday.

Shank said the news brought back memories of Jeremy, who died in September in Iraq at age 18.

Riordan was like Jeremy in many ways, Chris Shank said.

"He was a good guy, he knew exactly what he wanted, he was really motivated and he'd bend over backwards to help out anybody. All you had to do was ask."

Riordan had fulfilled the university's Air Force ROTC program, but switched over from the Air Force to the Army, keeping his officer training and entering as an officer after being commissioned in September 2005.

Southeast Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bob Bosse was there when Riordan was commissioned and served as his supervisor from January 2002 to November 2004 while Riordan worked writing tickets and helping staff the department's student escort service, which provided escorts for students concerned about walking around campus alone at night. In his job with the escort service, Bosse said Riordan worked from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., but got up on time to attend his classes the next morning.

"He was a very dedicated, conscientious young man," Bosse said.

Shank called the DPS staff over the weekend and let them know about Riordan's then-unconfirmed death, Shank said.

Bosse said the reaction to the news was disbelief. Bosse said he was hit especially hard when he heard the news of the death of a young man he calls "a true officer and gentleman."

"I watched him grow up," Bosse said. "He was one of the finest kids I've ever known, and I've been doing this for 30 years."

Bosse said he commonly played "phone tag" with Riordan after his graduation, and the two always had trouble hooking up. In his messages, Bosse said, Riordan "seemed very, very happy, like he was doing what he wanted to do."

A group of DPS officers will attend Riordan's funeral. Arrangements are still pending.

Vance Pawielski, a retired Air Force officer and communications coordinator with the Southeast Air Force ROTC program, said Riordan was a "gung-ho" cadet who always applied himself and became the ROTC color guard commander. Pawielski said Riordan was also a rodeo cowboy who enjoyed country music but whose overriding goal was military service.

Three other soldiers were killed in the incident, according to the Department of Defense: Sgt. Joel A. House, 22, of Lee, Maine; Sgt. Jimy M. Malone, 23, of Willis Point, Texas; and Spc. Derek A. Calhoun, 23, of Oklahoma City.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182