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Coral Springs to Proclaim ‘Daniel Jay Agami Day’ Honoring Fallen Local Hero

Daniel Agami was honored during a bridge dedication ceremony at Veterans Park in Coconut Creek last month {City of Coconut Creek}.

The Coral Springs city commission on Wednesday will honor a fallen local war hero by proclaiming Jan. 7, 2026, as “Daniel Jay Agami Day,” formally tying the city’s civic calendar to Agami’s legacy of military service and sacrifice.

The proclamation recognizes Army Specialist Daniel Jay Agami, 25, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2007. The designation is intended to complement existing public memorials bearing Agami’s name — most notably a recently renamed state bridge — by creating an annual day of remembrance.

That bridge, on State Road 7 over Sample Road, was renamed in Agami’s honor last month after a bill amendment filed by Rep. Christine Hunschofsky was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bridge physically connects three Broward cities tied to Agami’s life and upbringing: Coral Springs, Margate, and Coconut Creek.

In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service building at 4233 W. Hillsboro Blvd. in Coconut Creek was renamed the “Army SPC Daniel Agami Post Office Building” after legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush.

The Coral Springs proclamation is meant to extend Agami’s legacy into civic life.

“We carry his memory forward by proclaiming January 7, 2026, as Daniel Agami Day in the City of Coral Springs, ensuring his legacy of courage and service is never forgotten,” states a Coral Springs city memo.

Agami attended Hebrew Academy Community School in Margate during grades one through five. A graduate of Coconut Creek High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2005, motivated, his family has said, by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a deep belief in American ideals.

“America fights for freedom and survival for the souls of the entire world,” he once said, according to family.

Military service was a defining part of Agami’s family history. His maternal grandfather served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and his father, an immigrant from Israel, served in the Israel Defense Forces.

Standing 6-foot-1 and known among fellow soldiers for his strength and camaraderie, Agami was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany. Many of his fellow troops had never met a Jewish soldier before and affectionately referred to him as “G.I. Jew” and “Hebrew Hammer.”

In 2006, Agami was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for actions during combat in northeast Baghdad. According to Army documentation, he acted courageously while under enemy fire, returning fire with a machine gun and later killing an insurgent with his pistol to defend his convoy. A military memo praised his “unfaltering courage in the face of danger and ability to provide overwhelming firepower and accuracy with his sidearm.”

Agami was killed on June 21, 2007, while patrolling the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad. He and four other soldiers were traveling in a Humvee when an improvised explosive device detonated near the vehicle, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

At Agami’s funeral service at Star of David Memorial Gardens in North Lauderdale, an Army officer presented Agami’s mother with posthumous honors, including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

According to Coral Springs officials, Agami had helped refurbish schools and mentored orphaned children while serving in Iraq. The Army had also planned to feature him in a recruiting campaign upon his return home, his family said.

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Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.