Private First Class Andrew Shields of the United States Army, who died May 31, 2008 in Afghanistan, was remembered at a ceremony held at the Battle Ground War Memorial Tuesday

Leah Anaya
For ClarkCountyToday.com

As the nation remembers and honors our fallen heroes in the military, a ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Battle Ground War Memorial honoring the life of local resident Private First Class Andrew Shields of the United States Army. 

The triennial “Never to be Forgotten” ceremony was hosted by the Community Military Appreciation Committee (CMAC) and the Patriot Guard Riders and was well attended, including by the fallen soldier’s family. Also in attendance were many on-duty Battle Ground police officers and firefighters, other gold star family members, City Council Member Tricia Davis, and Clark County Sheriff Candidate Rey Reynolds, who sang the National Anthem as well as God Bless the USA. 

PFC Shields was just over 19 years old when he was a part of the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Bamberg, Germany, and died on May 31, 2008 when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Jalalabad City in Afghanistan. 

Shields was still attending Battle Ground High School when he completed Army basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, and then after he graduated, he went on to complete combat medic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas as well as airborne training at Fort Benning in Georgia. He was engaged to another medic that he met in training, Loren Elizabeth Combs. 

At the ceremony, Shields’ mother, Wendy Campbell, encouraged attendees to support the military and first responders. She said the last few years have seen a decline in such support and told the audience that her son’s memory can be better honored by backing them. His father, Jon Shields, a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy, also spoke and thanked the audience for keeping his son’s memory alive. 

City Council Member Tricia Davis said, “I’m honored to be here to remember this community hero. Everyone here is saddened but grateful for his sacrifice, and for his family’s sacrifice.” 

“My brother Jon’s son was an incredible young man who showed tremendous leadership,” said Rey Reynolds. “We are a community, and as a community, we honor those who have gone before us. We are not Portland, and we certainly aren’t Seattle. We honor our heroes, and that makes us unique. We honor the blessings bestowed upon our country.” 

Wendy and Jon were presented with an etching of Andrew’s name taken from the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Illinois, as well as a wooden American flag with the Army logo and PFC Shields’ name on it.