A “Never to be Forgotten” ceremony will be held in Battle Ground on Tuesday, May 31 to honor U.S. Army soldier PFC Andrew Jon Shields, who was killed in action on May 31, 2008 in Afghanistan.
Shields graduated from Battle Ground High School in 2007 and attended Combat Medic School at Fort Sam in Houston, Texas. Shields then went on to Fort Benning in Georgia where he completed Basic Airborne School.
He was later assigned to the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Bomberg, Germany. The unit was deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
“PFC Shields knew what he wanted to do in life and that was fight for the company and be an airborne medic,” stated a news release.
On May 31, 2008, Shields was patrolling Jalalabad City in Afghanistan when he suffered mortal wounds when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Shields was brought home and laid to rest at the Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Vancouver.
During his time at Battle Ground High School, Shields was a track and field athlete and was on the varsity football team. He was also a member of the Clark County Fire and Rescue cadet program.
The ceremony will take place at the War Memorial at Kiwanis Park in Battle Ground. There will be full military honors, including a rifle volley.
The remembrance ceremony will start at 1 p.m. on May 31.
The ceremony will be conducted by the Community Military Appreciation Committee, the Patriot Guard Riders and AMVETS Post No. 16.
