Summit officials will observe Memorial Day by honoring a native son who died in battle in Vietnam.
Mayor Percy Robinson said a program honoring the late Pvt. John D. Shaw will be held in the upstairs auditorium of Southwest Mississippi Community College’s Horace Holmes Student Union Building at 10 a.m. Monday.
Town officials and Rep. Daryl Porter Jr. will present proclamations honoring Shaw’s life and service.
Afterwards, a gathering will take place on John D. Shaw Street in Summit, formerly named Cedar Street, to formally unveil street signs that went up in late 2019.
Shaw was born Oct. 18, 1942, and attended Burglund High School, where he was quarterback on the football team. He was one of the older kids in his family and looked after other children in the neighborhood.
Shaw had a job delivering newspapers and enlisted in the U.S. Army in December 1964 at the age of 22 and served with the 503rd infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade.
He deployed to Vietnam on June 12, 1965, and died in battle after being hit by a sniper’s bullet less than a month later on July 7, 1965, northeast of Bien Hoa, Vietnam, on the north side of the Dong Nai River in South Vietnam, never seeing his 23rd birthday.
Shaw is buried in Summit’s Greenlawn Cemetery.
He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star “for meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against a hostile force,” according to a Nov. 12, 1965, letter from Col. John D. McLaughlin announcing the commendation. Later, he received the Purple Heart.
Charles Jackson Sr., the commanding officer of the 503rd infantry, wrote to Shaw’s mother, Elizabeth Jones, after his death:
“This unit was engaged in action against the Viet Cong in the jungles on the morning of 7 July 1965 when the column was hit by hostile fire, at 0940 hours in which John was fatally wounded.
“As a member of this unit, John was well liked by his associates and friends. He performed his duties in an outstanding manner which I feel was the result of fine family background and childhood. John’s death was a loss to everyone who knew him and I trust that you will find a measure of consolation in the knowledge that your grief is shared by all members of this organization.”
Gen. William Westmoreland, who commanded the U.S. military during Vietnam, also wrote to Shaw’s mother.
“I always have a feeling of close personal loss when informed of the death of members of this command who have died while serving their country here in Vietnam,” Westmoreland wrote. “I know that it must be especially difficult for you because of the fact your son was serving so far from home and family.
“Your son made the supreme sacrifice in the service of his country for the cause of freedom. ... Please accept the deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences of all personnel of this command, which I hope will be of some consolation at this time of personal sorrow and bereavement. You may rest assured that all of us will continue to do our utmost to bring eventual victory so that your son’s sacrifice will not have been in vain.”
The presidential citation awarding the Bronze Star to Shaw noted that he “performed his duties in an extraordinary manner.”
“His obedience, loyalty and initiative were an inspiration for others of like grade and standing. While on a search and destroy operation in War Zone “D” on 7, July 1965, when he was mortally wounded by a Viet Cong sniper, Private Shaw distinguished himself for his aggressiveness, cooperation, and unfailing devotion to duty. Private Shaw was at all times an outstanding example for his fellow soldiers and his exemplary actions and bearing were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United states Army and reflect great credit upon himself, this unity and the military service.”
