Lt. Col. Kevin M. Shea (USAFA '89)

Lt. Col. Kevin M. Shea (USAFA '89)

$35.00

A 1984 graduate of Bishop O'Dea High School in Seattle, Washington, Kevin Shea accepted an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy, where he was a standout defensive end on the football team, played in the 1987 Freedom Bowl, and was a member of the academy's 1989 national collegiate champion rugby team.

Kevin graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1989 from Cadet Squadron 29. He received an inter-service transfer into the Marine Corps and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He completed The Basic School (TBS) and the Infantry Officer’s Course at Quantico, Virginia.

Kevin’s first assignment was as a Support Company Detachment Commander, for the 9th Communications Battalion in Operation Desert Storm.

After returning from Operation Desert Storm, Kevin began his duty with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company in June 1991. During a three-year period he earned both jump master and combatant diver ratings.

In May 1999, Kevin was promoted to the rank of Major and earned a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in September 2000.

Kevin also served at the U.S. Naval Academy as an electrical engineering instructor and an assistant coach for the Navy rugby team, where the students revered him. While at the Naval Academy, he earned the academic rank of Master Instructor and was named an honorary graduate by the class of 2003, an honor bestowed on few.

As Kevin continued to lead a successful career in the Marine Corps he managed to have a positive effect on those around him.

"Lt. Col. Shea was a role model Marine.  He was everything a Marine should be," said Lance Cpl. John H. Wells, a radio operator with RCT-1.

“Shea always looked at things from a positive perspective no matter what the situation was,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Raymond M. Berger, a communications chief with RCT-1.

Kevin received the Bronze Star with Valor a few weeks before his death, although he did not inform his family due to his humble nature. 

On September 14, 2004, Shea was serving as the Communications Information Systems Officer assigned to Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Pendleton, California. He was only a few months from returning home when he was killed during a rocket attack on Camp Fallujah. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel, making him one of the highest-ranking officers killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After his death, a highly anticipated rugby match between the Naval Academy, then ranked No. 3 in the nation, and its rival Air Force was canceled when the Navy players decided unanimously to bow out to attend Kevin's memorial and interment at Arlington. Today, the “Shea Cup” is an annual rugby match held between the Naval and Air Force Academies in his honor.

Due to the impact he had on everyone around him, Kevin is remembered to this day in many ways. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation administers a scholarship in Kevin’s name. There is a chapter about Kevin in In “The Shadow of Greatness,” written by graduates of the Naval Academy. Also, the Kevin M. Shea Memorial Unit Award is given annually to a United States Marine Corps unit that makes exceptional contributions to the Corps. Kevin’s Air Force Academy classmates dedicated a statue of him in the Academy’s “Walk of Hero’s.”

Kevin is survived by his wife, Ami, their two children, Brenna and Michael, and his brothers Dan and Tom. Kevin’s daughter has followed in his footsteps and is a Captain (sel) in the Marine Corps.

Here’s a toast.

For every bracelet sold, $10 will be donated to the Semper Fi Fund, which provides immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

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