​Daniel was 20 years old from Cincinnati, Ohio and assigned to 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, Camp Ederle, Italy. He is the beloved son of Shmuel and Rebecca Birkan, devoted brother of Adam Birkan, loving grandson of Gerd and the late Edith Buchheim; and Judy and the late Ruby Birkan; and other loving family members. Jack Kilbride, commander of the battalion’s headquarters company, said, “No matter how mundane, how menial or how difficult the task, Corporal Freeman accomplished it with a smile.”