9/11: Sailor's family tracked down for 7 years by Fort Bend ISD teacher to attend ceremony honoring him
HOUSTON - Family of Naval Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Martin Caballero, a sailor who died at the Pentagon on September 11, attended a ceremony at his alma mater, Austin High School, held in his honor after Aaron Johnson, the school’s Senior Naval Science Instructor, dedicated seven years to tracking them down.
Since Caballero’s graduation in 1998, Austin High has held five annual 9/11 remembrance ceremonies, but until this year, his family had never been present. Johnson was determined to find them and even though he had no contact information of Caballero's family, he began reaching out to every "Caballero" he could find in Texas.
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"I found out there are about 16,000 Caballeros in Texas," Johnson shared. He contacted almost half of them during his search. "I would call a list of numbers every day, especially in the summers," he said. Johnson also sent emails and reached out via social media, hoping to find the right family members.
After nearly 7,000 calls, Johnson’s efforts paid off this past summer when he reached one of Daniel’s sisters.
"I said, ‘Ma’am, I know this is an unusual phone call, but I have been looking for y’all for seven years. Can your family come to this year’s event?’," Johnson said. The sister agreed and told the instructor no one had ever reached out, so they didn’t think anyone cared.
Seven family members, including Daniel’s mother, sisters, cousins, and nieces, attended the ceremony, sitting front and center. According to those in attendance, they were visibly emotional. The family also got to see a statue of a fierce eagle entwined with the American flag in front of the high school, erected as a memorial to Daniel and all victims of 9/11.
Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith, spoke to the family, saying, "We will never forget how Daniel served his country and how he is counted among the courageous – now and forever." He was joined by FBISD Board Vice President Rick Garcia and Trustees Angie Hanan and Dr. Shirley Rose-Gilliam, who reflected on their own memories of 9/11 and also spoke directly to the Caballero family.
The 9/11 ceremony was largely led by Austin High's JROTC students and included a slide show of Daniel’s life, musical performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner," "Amazing Grace," and an instrumental solo of "Taps." A memorial wreath and bouquets of flowers were presented to the Caballero family, and two JROTC cadets were promoted for outstanding leadership, with their mothers present to pin their new ranks.
The Caballero family expressed appreciation for the tribute and what the Austin High School community did for them and has done since the tragedy to remember their son, brother, cousin, and uncle, Daniel Caballero.
Caballero's family said they plan to return for future ceremonies, since they now know about the annual tradition.