Daniel Chamberlain Lehman

Captain Daniel Chamberlain Lehman

United States Army

February 6, 1990 – September 15, 2018

My beloved son, Daniel, died unexpectedly in Colorado. Daniel was born in California, spent his youth in Santa Fe, but was a true world citizen. He will be remembered for his intelligence and quick wit, his love of learning, travel and music, his zest for life and adventure. As a young boy he would point to hills and ask to climb them. As a young man he informed me that he wanted to become an exchange student and left for China at 16 years old. It was during that year he decided to attend West Point, join the Army, and serve his country. I told him he needed options, so he also applied to the Naval and Air Force Academies. He was accepted to all three prestigious schools.

From the age of 11 – for seven years, Daniel volunteered at a retirement community where he played chess with all the older men. Of course, he always won each match, and at 13 he led his high school team to State Championship. Daniel was fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, he played the trumpet and every year was an All-State Recipient. He was a talented chess player, a world traveler, an avid and voracious reader of history and philosophy. He had a double major in Nuclear Physics and Philosophy, and after graduation at West Point, he chose the branch of Military Intelligence. He proudly served in Afghanistan, and quickly rose from Second to First Lieutenant, and then became a Captain. He spent a year in Eastern Europe, and returned to Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was killed in a senseless act of violence.

Daniel’s life was a gift to me and to many others. He loved music and felt as comfortable with jazz and classical music as he did with rap. As with life, there was always meaning to be discerned, studied, and shared. He was thrifty, but generous, and was a patient teacher of math and physics. A gifted writer, his eloquent essays and poems would bring you to tears for his understanding of life, of pain, of longing, of love.

Daniel was preceded in death by his younger brother, Jonathan Giles Lehman. He is survived by his mother, Laurie Chamberlain Lehman, and his father, Danny George Lehman. In lieu of flowers, make a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, or to the charity of your choice. Show an act of kindness to a stranger, reach out to an estranged friend or family member, show patience to someone who needs it – do something for another human in this strange and needy world.

Daniel will be honored with a private Military Honor Ceremony and Service. His burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery.