Cpl. Daegan Page, one of 13 U.S. servicemembers who lost his life in the attack at the Kabul airport during the Afghan evacuations in August, was honored and remembered by his hometown hockey team as part of its Military Appreciation Night in November. Daegan’s family, including his mom, Wendy Adelson, and his dad, Greg Page, joined the Omaha Lancers Hockey Club for the Visiting Angels Hometown Hero Tribute. The family was presented with a Lancers sweater inscribed with Daegan’s name and participated in a ceremonial puck drop to kick off the match on Nov. 12. Wendy said dropping the puck brought her a needed sense of excitement for the first time since she lost her son, knowing the 23-year-old was looking down on the event with joy. “Daegan absolutely loved hockey — playing it and watching it — and we're certain he would think this event, in particular, was really cool,” Wendy said. “We are honored to be in such great company to celebrate Daegan. This is his kind of crowd, and he will surely be smiling down on all of us.”
Prior to being called to service overseas, Daegan was a hockey fanatic and even played on the Jr. Lancers team in high school. Visiting Angels of Omaha sponsors Hometown Hero Seats each week of the Lancers season, which includes four tickets to a game and recognition on the Lancer Vision screen for military families and families of first responders. For the special Veterans Day tribute, Visiting Angels gave Daegan’s family the company’s box suite so they could enjoy the game comfortably as a group. “We are unspeakably grateful to Daegan for his service,” says Phil Labadie, independent owner and operator of Visiting Angels of Omaha. “Daegan paid the ultimate sacrifice. We can never repay him for his service, but we hope his family feels lifted up and supported by their local community during this unimaginable period of grief and loss.” Wendy says her family is heartbroken to have lost Daegan, but she adds that events like the Visiting Angel Hometown Hero tribute help reassure her that people recognize the depth of her family’s loss.
“Daegan was a hero to his family and friends before Aug. 26, when he and 12 other servicemembers gave the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our U.S. citizens and countless others in Afghanistan,” says Wendy. “We are thankful for all the ways that people across Nebraska and Iowa, and especially here in his hometown of Omaha, have rallied around us and paid tribute to him."