Brigadier General James G. Shanahan (1920

Pompey, New York Pompey is a town in the southeast part of Onondaga County, New York. The population was 7,080 at the time of the 2010 census. The town was named after the Roman general and political leader Pompey by a late 18th-century clerk interested in the Clas ...

– 8 January 1997 Alexandria, Virginia) served in the United States Army from 1942 through 1973.Bill Tracking - 1997 session > Legislation
/ref> James Shanahan joined

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

and was commissioned in 1942 following his graduation. Shanahan was initially given a command in the 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He served as a platoon leader and company commander for this unit in the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

during the Second World War. Following the end of the war, he returned to the United States to serve as an aide in the Truman White House. When the Korean War broke out he returned to combat as the battalion commander for the 1-38th, 2nd Infantry Division. He also led the 3rd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. He became one of only 138 soldiers to earn the Combat Infantryman Badge with two combat stars (three awards - World War II, Korea, Vietnam). Additional decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, three Silver Stars, two

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

s for Valor, four Bronze Star Medals for Merit, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, Air Medal with eight clusters, the

Vietnamese National Order of Valor Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses. He was a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

. Following his retirement from the Army in 1973 at the rank of Brigadier General, James Shanahan settled in the Alexandria, Virginia area and became a real estate broker. He died of an apparent heart attack on the 8th of January 1997 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.July 17, 1967
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References

1920 births 1997 deaths United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Niagara University alumni Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star {{US-army-World-War-II-bio-stub