General Shanahan, 76, died January 8, 1997 of an apparent heart attack, at his home in Alexandria, Virginia.
General Shanahan was commissioned through ROTC from Niagara University in 1942. He served in the 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division as platoon leader and company commander in World War II. Later he commanded the 1-38th Infantry, 2d Infantry Division in Korea and the 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He also served as assistant division commander of 3d Infantry Division in Germany.
His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; six children, Kathleen, James, David, Mark, Ted and John; and 13 grandchildren.
Burial was held January 16, 1997 at the Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
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