Honoring A Fallen Hero

I received an email from The Ugly American alerting me to a story that he thought I would find interesting. He was right and I must admit that reading the story brought tears to the Dog’s eyes. This story is about the compassion Americans show to the families of fallen heroes. The story is about a dream that a hero will never realize but will live on thanks to the generosity of real patriots.

This story is about Chief Warrant Officer Lawrence (Shane) Colton of the Army’s 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas who lost his life in Iraq on April 11th, 2004 when his Apache helicopter was shot down west of Baghdad while protecting a fuel convoy, killing him and his fellow crewmember. Shane Colton left behind his wife Inge` and their eleven year old son Lance. Mr. Colton (the correct address for a Warrant Officer) was working on restoring a 1968 Corvette with his son when he left for Iraq. Unfortunately, Mr. Colton will never see that dream come to fruition.

Mr. Colton’s young son Lance wanted to finish the car in honor of his father but how on Earth could an 11 year old accomplish such a daunting task? It so happens that Mr. Gary Anderson, President of SoffSeal saw the fallen heroes segment on the evening news and he wanted to help.

Mr. Anderson called Corky Coker, Chairman of the SEMA Board of Directors and president of Coker Tires and was given the full support of the association. Mr. Anderson’s wife then contacted CBS to ask for permission to speak with Mrs. Colton and Lance to offer their help in building the car. Mrs. Colton was overwhelmed and could not understand why complete strangers would want to do something like this for her and her son. Mr. Anderson explained that CWO Colton had given his life for his country and it was just the right thing to do. After some conversation, she Okayed the project with a promise from Mr. Anderson to involve Lance as much as possible. The Real Ugly American

Dozens of companies donated parts and an army of people donated their time and money to help this boy honor his father. The car was unveiled at the SEMA banquet and through the generosity of many Americans Lance was able to fulfill his father’s dream.

The memory of Mr. Colton will live on in the efforts of the people who put partisan politics and personal feelings aside to help a little boy honor the memory of his father. What greater honor is there than to have the memory of a loved one live on in spirit and in the hearts and souls of ordinary people who stepped in to help.

You can read the particulars at The Real Ugly American.

Big Dog Salute to The Ugly American for the story and to all the people who helped a little boy turn his father’s dream into reality.
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One Response to “Honoring A Fallen Hero”

  1. Thank you for sharing this story with your readers Big Dog. I am glad you liked it as well.