The memory of a true patriot should never be weakened or forgotten.
This is the guiding principle for military mom Anna Levy-Prial after the tragic death of her son, Chief Warrant Officer Level 2 Daniel Prial, just over two years ago.
Prial, who was 30 when he died, was a dedicated National Guardsman and a passionate American, Levy-Prial, of Warwick, New York, said in a Fox News Digital phone interview.
3 DIE IN MILITARY HELICOPTER Crash Were Experienced Pilots
According to a then Associated Press report, on January 20, 2021, three members of the National Guard, including Prial, were killed when their helicopter crashed in a field in upstate New York south of Rochester.
Other servicemen who died in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, New York, and Chief Warrant Officer 4, 39-year-old Christian Koch, of Honey Falls, New York , the National Guard said.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial and his mother Ann Livy-Prial of Warwick, New York. (Ann Levy-Prial)
The UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter dived while the trio were practicing rescue maneuvers, having experienced a crisis at some point, Livi-Prial said.
“There was a press conference held by the National Guard and it was considered that the error was a procedural error,” she said.
“In other words, it wasn’t a mechanical error.”
Gold Star’s mother refuses to let her son’s legacy perish.
According to her, in training flights, the military personnel are faced with the task of exposing the car to “danger” in order to “simulate real life as much as possible.”
NEW YORK FIRE AND FIRST REAGENT WENT THE APPALACHI TRACE SEP 11 TO RAIS MONEY AND PTSD AWARENESS
When Prial and his team undertook this particular training maneuver, Levy-Prial said the procedure was “unclear” in terms of the helicopter’s altitude and speed.
“So when the car was put in such a compromised position… it was moving too fast and too low to be recovered,” she continued.
“And so he just fell to the ground.”
Daniel “Danny” Prial (left) and his brother Terence Prial at the graduation of the last of the Officer Candidate School. (Ann Levy-Prial)
As a result, according to Levy-Prial, the National Guard limited this maneuver to training simulators only.
Gold Star’s mother refuses to let her son’s legacy perish.
A mother of five and wife of 38, Levi-Prial said her son, their middle child nicknamed Danny, is destined to serve his country.
NEW JERSEY MAN WALKS UP TO RAISER NEARLY $100,000 FOR HOMELESS VETERANS: “RESPECT AND HONOR”
Prial’s father, Greg, was a New York firefighter involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
After watching the tragedy on TV and worrying about his father returning home safely, the then 11-year-old Prial decided he would join the army when he came of age.
Prial’s family is shown here, including all five children. Mother Ann Livi-Prial is third from the left; her husband, Greg Prial, is on the far left. Their son, Danny Prial, center back, wearing a red shirt. (Ann Levy-Prial)
Prial pursued his dreams “with 9/11 always in mind,” his mother said.
He enrolled at West Point Military Academy straight out of high school.
According to Livi-Prial, instead of choosing a gem for the center of his West Point ring, Prial chose to place a piece of glass from the World Trade Center found by his father in the center.
“We didn’t even know about the people he helped.”
“And he replicated me to have a glass pendant from the World Trade Center,” she continued.
SEP 11: ANNUAL RACE FROM PENTAGON TO GROUND ZERO GIVES ‘GOD MOMENTS’, FOUNDER SAYS
“He was sentimental, he loved the country,” she added. “He just loved the United States, loved his fellow men.”
Prial brought his intense love of the country to Afghanistan when he stayed there for nine months in 2014.
Daniel Prial loved to play basketball. Here he scores the ball. (Ann Levy-Prial)
The young Prial had a passion for flying and even gave up his captaincy in order to fly more often.
“He wanted to fly,” his mother said. “His passion was medical evacuation missions, which is what he did in Afghanistan.”
According to her, writing about her son was “healing”.
When news of Prial’s death became widely known, the outpouring of support from people who knew and loved him was overwhelming, she said.
A DOG AND HIS SOLDIER: AN ANSWER TO LEUTENAN’S PRAYERS AFTER SAVING A BELOVED PUPPY HE CONTACTED WITH ABROAD
“After his death, we began to receive a lot of postcards and letters,” she said. “I’ve written over 800 handwritten thank you letters.”
Daniel Prial coaches the boys’ football team in Alabama in a suit. (Ann Levy-Prial)
She added, “But that just gives you an idea of the number of people he touched and the stories… We didn’t even know about the people he helped.”
Levi-Prial felt the need to “lower” these letters into a permanent form, which was the inspiration for her book The Fullest Measure.
“He really appreciated our country and didn’t take it for granted, but he felt he had to make his small contribution.”
The book is also inspired by “a mother’s desire to do everything [she] can keep his memory alive and let people know what a wonderful young man he was,” she said.
She noted that writing about her son was “healing”.
According to Anne Livy-Prial, a portion of all sales from The Fullest Measure will be donated to the Warwick Valley VFW charity. (Ann Levy-Prial)
The biography is organized chronologically. Levi-Prial recounts stories from his son’s life through selected letters throughout the book.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIFESTYLE INFORMATION
The devoted mother hopes readers are “inspired” by her son in how he “loved everyone” and loved his country.
“He really appreciated our country and didn’t take it for granted, but he felt he had to make his small contribution,” she said.
Levy-Prial encourages other Gold Star families to always remember the “important dates” in the life of a lost loved one and always remember them.
The cover of the new book The Fullest Measure by Anne Livy-Prial. (Ann Levy-Prial)
“Every good thing they did meant something,” she said. “It doesn’t end with their lives.”
“These people died for us,” she said. “And even if they didn’t die, the people who go into the army do it for their compatriots.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A portion of all sales from The Fullest Measure will be donated to Warwick Valley VFW, she said.
The book is currently available for purchase on Amazon.
