When Jeffrey Shaver signed up for the Army National Guard in 1999 to become a medic, he was assured by his recruiter in Spokane, Wash., that “they haven’t sent the Guard out of the state for about 50 years,” his mother recalled.
But five years later, as Shaver, 26, was about to head to Iraq with the Guard’s 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry, he didn’t see it as a bad thing.
“He felt we wouldn’t be safe here until terrorism was taken care of and it was worth it to go for that reason,” his mother, Jane, said.
Spec. Shaver died May 12 in Baghdad when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
When he died, he was on his way to an Iraqi town with a doctor he worked with so that they could provide medical services to Iraqi citizens.
“He always had a desire to reach out to others, to serve others,” said former roommate Craig Schafer. “And that’s what he was doing when he died.”
Helping others had long been a part of Shaver’s life. He served as a trainer in high school, a lifeguard at Boy Scout camp, and a volunteer at a church.
“We have pictures of him in Cub Scouts doing first aid,” his mother said. “He really enjoyed that kind of work.”
“Everything led in that direction,” she said. “He just loved to help people.”
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Dang, 20, was known for helping establish one of his high school’s programs: the robotics team.
“He loved building things and brought a lot of enthusiasm to the team. He had energy to spare,” said Kirk Black, Aragon High School principal, recalling Dang’s work “in the pit” during the team’s first competition.
They won the rookie team award that year.
The native of Foster City, Calif., was killed in combat near Ar Ramady, Iraq, on March 22, less than two weeks into his tour of duty.
He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Dang was a star athlete who wrestled and played defensive lineman. But it was math and science that had interested him since childhood. He planned a career in avionics and engineering.
In a tribute, his mother, Antoinette Medina, wrote she will miss the “mad scientist wild look” in her son’s eyes when completing a rocket launch, one of his favorite hobbies.
Black said friends and teachers will miss Dang’s upbeat attitude.
“He was the kind of student who wanted to learn,” he said. “He wasn’t afraid of problems. He wasn’t afraid of anything.”
Dang’s high school alma mater plans to name a scholarship in his honor.
