Matt Patron's passion during the last 2 1/2 years has been preserving the memories of his brother — through the production of a full-length documentary film — nearly three years after Marine Sgt. Daniel J. Patron of Perry Township was killed at the age of 26 in Afghanistan trying to defuse a roadside bomb.

Matt Patron’s passion during the last 21⁄2 years has been preserving the memories of his brother through the production of a full-length documentary film nearly three years after Marine Sgt. Daniel J. Patron of Perry Township was killed at the age of 26 in Afghanistan trying to defuse a roadside bomb.



Several minutes into the packed premiere screening of “Collecting Sgt. Dan” at the Palace Theatre on Saturday night, Matt Patron as the narrator explained the purpose of his ambitious project.



“I can’t live with my kids not knowing my brother,” he said.



More than a thousand people — friends of the Patron family, family members, co-workers of Matt Patron, members of groups such as the Patriot Guard Riders and Founding Fathers — from across Northeast Ohio flocked to the screening, filling nearly all of the theater’s 1,509 seats. The will call line extended to the next building. Eighteen motorcycles with American flags belonging to Patriot Guard members were parked on the street.



“Today’s movie is SOLD OUT. No Tickets are available,” said a box office sign.



“There is nothing more a person can do than lay down their life for another,” said Rick Watkins, a Patriot Guard Rider who lives in Youngstown. “Sgt. Dan did that for us. He fought for our freedom. The least we can do is show our respects.”



Jaeda Dancy, of Tallmadge, who works with Matt Patron at the Ohdela School in Akron, said working on the film helped him relieve his grief and feel closer to his brother.



But, “he kind of had to relive the pain of losing him. The sadness as well,” she said. “He was able to speak with other Marines, so he knew he was not alone in how he felt about him.”



Ryan Cirignano drove from his Cleveland home to attend the screening. He said he knows the Patron family. A Navy veteran, he said he graduated from Perry High School in 2001, two years before Sgt. Patron did.



“A lot of people will make a Facebook page to honor the fallen,” he said. “To make a movie ... it shows how great the Patron family is and how much they loved Danny.”



His uncle, Dave Patron, told the audience his nephew’s purpose was simple.



“Dan wasn’t crazy, and he wasn’t in need of some adrenaline rush. He just wanted to save lives,” he said.



He added that Daniel Patron, a technician in the Marine’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, re-enlisted and volunteered to search for bombs when it wasn’t his turn because “if it’s me, it’s not someone else.”



The film shows video of Daniel Patron as a boy playing with his brother mixed with footage of Marines carrying a coffin to a vehicle at Dover Air Force Base and scenes with Matt Patron’s 4-year-old daughter visiting a memorial honoring her uncle. Matt Patron conducted several emotional interviews of family members as well as Marines who shared their memories of his brother — recollections of how he helped them when they were wounded. Recollections of how he died in August 2011.



While the theme of loss and grief permeate much of the film, it still has its lighter moments reflecting Daniel Patron’s ability not only to defuse bombs but defuse tension.



One Marine recalled how Daniel Patron took pride in his ability to go weeks without a shower. Others talked about his love of dirt bikes. Another talked about how he attended a costume party as Barney the Dinosaur.



His mother, Kathy Patron, talked in the film about how her son liked to jump on the bed at Christmas — until his 20s, sparking laughter from the audience.



