Gary and i were best buds in high school, he was one day older than me.

Below is what is posted on my High School's "In Memory" page...

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In Memory

Gary Shaw

Here is a reprint of a Toledo Blade article that details in depth how Gary died in Vietnam. After reading it I think you will agree that we should all be proud to have had Gary as our Classmate.

The battle of Dak To was the longest and most violent in the highlands since the battle of the Ia Drang in 1965. Enemy casualties numbered in the thousands, with an estimated 1,400 killed. Americans had suffered too. Approximately one-fifth of the 173d Airborne Brigade had become casualties, with 174 killed, 642 wounded, and 17 missing in action.

As the battle built toward its climax, the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted aggressive sweeps of the area around Dak To. On one of these sweeps, on 11 November, troops from C Co, 1/503 Infantry, were engaged by North Vietnamese regulars. Four men - PFC Edwin Martinez-Mercado, PFC Gary Shaw, PVT John Stuckey and SP4 Robert Staton - were seen to have been shot during the engagement but they could not be recovered. When the area later was searched for casualties, their bodies were not found. They were classed as "Missing in Action, Body not Recovered".

Shaw's actions on 11 November were sufficient for him to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but it would be nearly 30 years before his death on the battlefield could be positively confirmed. In 1996, it was reported that a DoD investigation of Shaw's case uncovered new evidence:

"Officials were able to find two medics who were in a battle with Pfc. Gary Shaw near Dak To on Nov. 11, 1967.
"There, while trying to help fellow soldiers who were shot, the young soldier was hit by a hail of enemy gunfire, according to the letter from the U.S. Department of Defense.

"Investigators were able to find records showing Private Shaw took part in the Battle of Dak To. ... During the battle, several soldiers who were hit by enemy gunfire say the young private was a hero, carrying them safely from enemy fire. ... For those deeds, Gary Shaw was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry, with his family members accepting the award for him in 1968 at the University of Toledo.

"A year ago, the defense department went to work on the case. They talked to some of the servicemen who said they were rescued by Private Shaw. But then they got a break: A medic, who apparently was not interviewed before, said he remembered Private Shaw.

"The medic also recalled the young private was hit numerous times. A former sergeant remembered Private Shaw being hit by enemy AK-47 assault rifles in the chest and back.

"A senior aide then checked Private Shaw for any signs of life, said the letter. The aide said that 'Private Shaw was unmistakably dead.'"

From the Toledo Blade
by Staff Writer Michael D. Sallah, 1996




pictures from The Wall





May 30th 2011



Got up early this morning to go fishing. Started wading the flats in the Banana River by my house here in Satellite Beach. It's 6:30 am, the sun is coming up and a small pod of dolphin swim by to sea if i was going to catch and release any fish 'their way!'

i spot a Roseate Spoonbill wading the shoreline, a few white herons poking for fish, and overhead a family of four Ospreys were shrieking back and forth to one another maybe signaling where there might be some breakfast to dive into!

i make a long cast and hook into a nice Red Fish!!! Hot dog, Red fish for dinner tonight........



Then i remember it's Memorial Day......



i fold my arms and just stand there in the water thinking about how very quiet and peaceful this place is......

and how lucky i was (am) to have a friend like you who really made this day possible.



You went into a war...where violence, carnage and chaos is the norm, and this is how you spent your last days...

A long time ago i read about you being MIA.....

Years later i read your name on the traveling WALL when it came through Melbourne.....

Now i read more of your last days and the hero you became....



Remember when we were on the West Toledo Y's swim teams. Swimming lap after lap ,doing flip turn after flip turn after flip turn in the smallest pool know to man! When we swam in a big pool the other teams all wondered how we all learned to turn so well!!!



Then maybe '63 or '64 we went and tried out for "the Olympics." i think we each won our races but our times weren't quite fast enough to go up to the next level...Nationals!!!!

But heck we thought we were good!

Remember trying to get Start High to have a have a swim team and even offering to pay for pool time when they said something about money????

Good times Gary...



i know these are only two little words that i am going to say ...but behind them there is a life time of thoughts and memories, and so until we meet again...



Thank You....



Gary McGee



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BurrysBreak

Inflation caused The BIG BANG...look it up!

Thank you Gary and all Vets.

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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

Thanks to all those who are serving and those that served.

Thanks to all the families that will always feel the loss of a loved one

Thank you Burry for a vivid reminder that today is much more than another bank holiday


(USN 1976-1982)

WORD, God bless all the Vets, never forget their sacrifice

Very, very nice Mr. Burry. I believe, everybody's (Americas') Hero, your childhood friend, knows what you've posted here. Here is here. At risk of appearing,, whatever. All, today, if no other day, join others at a service commemorating 'our' Hero's. The effort we were taught, makes the feeling gen-u-ine, and oddly enough, conversely 'personal'. Have a fabulous day surf community! best   

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ola ~

What a beautiful tribute to your friend.  Today is the day we honor those that didn't come home the young men and women that gave their life to defend us. They are the heros.  Some may have made it home from the war but the war still reached out and killed them.  I ask you to reflect on those men and woman that came home suffering from those hidden wounds. Reliving pain that built untill they took their own life. Please remember them as well as those that fell on the battlefield.   Again That was a beautiful Tribute It was my honor 

US Army 1969 to 1971 

 

Yes, thank you to all of you who lost someone close and to all of you, where ever you made be, for the greatest of all sacrifices.

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I was right.

Thanks for sharing Burry. Gary Shaw was an incredible brave young man. Like numerous others, they are truly missed and we should honor them every day.

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"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw