Alan W. Shaw - Staff Sergeant, United States Army

NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense
No. 164-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public/Industry(703) 428-0711

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died February 9, 2007, in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an explosion during breaching operations.The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Staff Sergeant Alan W. Shaw, 31, of Little Rock, Arkansas
Staff Sergeant Eric Ross, 26, of Kenduskeag, Maine.
Specialist Leeroy A. Camacho, 28, of Saipan, Mariana Islands.

15 February 2007:

Staff Sergant Alan W. Shaw of Little Rock, Arkansas, was killed Friday in the line of duty 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in Baqouba, Iraq.

Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday at 2:00pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints located at 13901 Quail Run Drive in Otter Creek.

Sergeant Alan W. Shaw will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday the 22nd in Washington D.C. at 10:00 am

The Shaw Family says they appreciate the out pour of love, prayers and support that has been shown.

Due to the honorees military burial being at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C., the family is accepting monetary gifts in lieu of flowers to be sent to the Staff Sergeant Alan W. Shaw Memorial Fund located at any Metropolitan National Bank in Arkansas.

The funds will be used to help Alan’s Siblings and their families (21 people total) to go to Washington D.C. for the burial service.

16 February 2007:

Staff Sergeant Alan Shaw, 31, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was killed along with two other soldiers Friday. He served in Baqubah, which is about 35 miles south of Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.

Shaw’s father, Jarrell, says his son and two other soldiers were killed while checking a booby-trapped building.

Shaw served four years in the Marine Corps before joining the Army for two tours in Iraq. He was with the 1st Cavalry, Bravo Company.

Shaw’s mother, Noramae, says, “He was over there to keep us free, to get rid of the terrorists and to help the people in Iraq. I think he did it because it was something he needed to do.”

Shaw is survived by his wife, Charrelle, and three children.

He was the 49th Arkansan killed since the War on Terror began.

Shaw will be buried February 22, 2007, at 10 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His family is having a local funeral service but has not determined when.

20 February 2007:

Flags line part of Main Street in North Little Rock Monday. It’s not to honor national leaders on President’s Day, but a tribute to one of Arkansas’ own.

“He had no enemies. You meet him once and he’ll be your friend,” says his brother Larry Shaw.

That could explain why hundreds walked into the North Little Rock Funeral Home to see the flag draped coffin of the fallen soldier. Staff Sergeant Alan Shaw died while serving a second tour in Iraq. Before that he left college to become a Marine.

Larry Shaw says, “He served his country and never a complaint. He got to go different places and see different things. He thought he was serving his country, protecting America.”

Larry is Alan’s oldest brother; one of six siblings. He says Alan was someone you always wanted on your team on the sporting field or in battle.

“He was nicknamed Superman. He was just fearless,” says Larry.

His fearless nature ultimately led to his death. He was searching a building 35 miles south Baghdad when something exploded.

“He gave the ultimate sacrifices for us and people we don’t even know were sending e-mails thanking us for my brother,” says Larry.

The family says that’s been a source of strength during their tough times. Complete strangers along with friends thanking them for what their son did serving his country and all Americans.

The memorial service for Shaw is Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Church of Latter Day Saints located on 13901 Quail Run Drive in Otter Creek. He will be laid to rest Thursday in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

A memorial fund has been set up at Metropolitan National Bank. The family says the money will go to pay for college for Shaw’s three kids as well as help the family get to D.C. for the funeral.

Soldier Believed He Could Make a Difference
Even His Tattoo Spoke of Dedication
By Leef Smith
Courtesy of the Washington Post
Friday, February 23, 2007

Two years had passed since Alan Shaw had left the Marines. He was working in the family business in Little Rock, installing acoustic ceilings, when the Iraq war began, and he decided there was a more pressing job for him to do.

So, despite the protests of family members who argued that it was a dangerous time to be wearing a uniform, Shaw joined the Army.

“He’d tell you if everyone thought like we did, we’d have no one taking care of us,” Shaw’s older brother, Larry Shaw, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

But Staff Sergeant Alan Shaw’s mission ended early. Shaw, 31, was killed February 9, 2007, by an explosion in Baqubah, about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. He and other soldiers were searching a building for weapons when a bomb exploded.

Staff Sergeant Eric Ross, 26, of Kenduskeag, Maine, and Specialist Leeroy Camacho, 28, of Saipan, Mariana Islands, also were killed in the blast.

All three were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Yesterday, amid a backdrop of leafless trees, Shaw’s friends and family gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to bury the man they remembered as a soldier who believed he could make a difference in the war.

“He believed in what we were doing there,” Shaw’s wife, Sharrell, told the Democrat-Gazette shortly after her husband’s death, adding he “lived and breathed” the job. To that end, she said, he had “o311,” his military occupational specialty code, tattooed on one of his arms.

Shaw graduated from Wilbur D. Mills High School in Little Rock in 1994. He attended Arkansas Tech University in Russellville for a year before joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1998. He served two overseas tours and one sea service tour before being honorably discharged in 2002.

He married his wife in October 2003. A year later, he joined the Army and was quickly deployed to Baghdad for his first combat tour.

“Alan exhibited great pride in his military career and was an outstanding leader and friend to his fellow soldiers,” read a passage from Shaw’s obituary.

“He was always among the first to volunteer and he believed wholeheartedly in his mission as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Alan died a hero to an entire nation as well as to his family and friends.”

Shaw was the third of seven siblings. Yesterday, his three children, Austin, 10, Jourdan, 7, and Davyn, 6, were with their mother at Arlington for the memorial service, which included a seven-gun, 3-volley salute and the playing of taps.

Six soldiers folded the U.S. flag that had draped Shaw’s polished wooden coffin. Dropping to one knee, Brigadier General Peter Vangjel presented a flag to Shaw’s widow and another to his parents, Jarrel and Noramae Shaw. He rose slowly, offering each a salute.

In an online guestbook for mourners, Staff Sergeant David Black, from Fort Hood, described Shaw as “my brother,” someone who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“You are truly a hero to me,” Black wrote. “One day we will see each other again and we will sit around and tell old stories. I will truly miss you Brother.”

Shaw was the 309th service member killed in the Iraq war to be buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Sharrell Shaw, the widow of Army Staff Sergeant Alan W. Shaw, of Little Rock, Arkansas, center, walks with
her family, son Austin, 10, right, and daughters Jordan, 7, and Damon, 6, and Brigadier General Peter Vangjel, in
front of her husband’s parents, Jarrell and Noramae Shaw, left, during funeral services at Arlington National
Cemetery, Thursday, February 22, 2007

The US military honor guard carries the US flag draped casket of Army
Staff Sergeant Alan W. Shaw at Arlington National Cemetery

An Army Honor Guards prepares to fold the flag that draped the casket of Army Staff Sergeant
Alan W. Shaw during funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, February 22, 2007

Sharrell Shaw, the widow of Army Staff Sergeant Alan W. Shaw is handed the flag that draped her
husband’s coffin by Brigadier General Peter Vangjel, during a funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery

SHAW, ALAN W
SSGT US ARMY
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/10/1975
DATE OF DEATH: 02/09/2007
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 8451

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Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard

Alan W. Shaw – Staff Sergeant, United States Army

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