Soldier, Son and Friend: Daniel Nerstrom Remembered at Funeral Saturday

A soldier from Libertyville who took his own life after returning home from the Iraq War was laid to rest Saturday. Daniel Nerstrom was remembered with fondness and reverence, as the boy who loved Legos and the Army sergeant to served his country.

“Daniel deserved better,” his mother Kim Nerstrom said. “This shouldn’t have happened. He loved his country. His country shouldn’t let things like this happen.”

The Chicago Tribune’s Rick Kambic chronicled Nerstrom’s funeral:

Sgt. Daniel Nerstrom was knocked unconscious by bombs eight times during his 12-month deployment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006.

Suffering from relentless migraines and the memories of losing 44 colleagues, Nerstrom committed suicide at some point after his Dec. 1 disappearance. ...

While deployed as a scout with the Army’s Third Armored Regiment, Nerstrom was able to get home for a few days and donate stem cells to help his father, Douglas, beat cancer.

Serving his country was a dream, according to Nerstrom’s mother, Kim. She asked him to go to college first, but caved after one year and gave her blessing. She said he watched the news with a burning passion, and she couldn’t deny him any longer.

» more via the Tribune

A despondent Nerstrom went missing on Dec. 1. He’d been trying to get an appointment at the VA Hospital for counseling but his appointment was pushed back twice. Friends, family, police and community members searched for him. His body was found on March 13 near the Libertyville train station.