Marine Lance Cpl. Shane K. O’Donnell
Death: Nov 08, 2004
of DeForest Wis.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion 24th Marine Regiment 4th Marine Division Marine Corps Reserve Chicago; killed Nov. 8 by enemy action in Babil province Iraq. Wisconsin Marine killed in Iraq Associated Press DEFOREST Wis. — A 24-year-old Marine reservist from Wisconsin described as an “upbeat happy-go-lucky guy” was killed in Iraq becoming the 24th service member from the state to be killed in the war. Lance Cpl. Shane K. O’Donnell of DeForest was killed Monday in an explosion while conducting combat operations in an area south of Baghdad said Maj. Terry Race a spokesman for O’Donnell’s unit. O’Donnell was with a Madison-based group of 175 Marine reservists who were activated June 1 and sent to Iraq in late September as an infantry unit Race said Tuesday. O’Donnell was attached to G Company 2nd Battalion 24th Marine Regiment Race said. Also killed Monday in Iraq was Lance Cpl. Branden Ramey22 a Marine reservist from Belvidere Ill. who was in the same Madison-based unit. Military personnel said he was killed near Fallujah. O’Donnell who was single and a construction worker joined the Madison unit Oct. 302002 and had recently attended Madison Area Technical College said Sgt. Michael Reiland who served with the Marine. “He was a hard charger. He was always motivated and was always willing to do what was necessary to get the mission accomplished; just an upbeat happy-go-lucky guy” Reiland said. Race said the Marine’s death devastated the family. Linda Meier choir teacher at DeForest High School said O’Donnell was in choir all four years of high school. “Nice voice and a great smile — the type of kid you just wanted to look at 24-7 because he always made you feel better no matter how you felt” she told WTDY radio of Madison. “I’m just stunned” said Gary Andrewjeski O’Donnell’s former football coach at Deforest High School. “He was just a super nice kid. He just always wanted to be a part of something. You would treat him like your own son.” A man who answered the telephone Tuesday at the O’Donnell home in DeForest said the family had no comment.