LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
On Monday, Aug. 8, a beloved American hero and Edgar County native was moved from her final resting place in the Edgar County Cemetery to a place of honor at Arlington National Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the United States, maintained by the United States Army.
Sgt. Shawna Morrison, of the Illinois National Guard’s 1544th Transportation Company, was the first female Illinois Guard member killed in Iraq. She was a proud, active member of the Paris community who lost her life during a mortar attack on her base during Operation Iraqi Freedom in September of 2004. She was only 26 years old.
Morrison joined the National Guard during her senior year at Paris High School in 1996. The role of serving her country is something she has always wanted to do.
Described as a “passionate guardsman,” known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, and a “super person with a bubbly personality whom everyone wanted to be around,” Morrison’s life was dedicated to the service of her country and others.
In December of 2003, she was deployed with the Paris-based 1544th as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Just months later, she was killed when the logistical base Seitz was hit by a barrage of mortar fire on Sept. 5.
The 1544th was attached to the Army’s 13th Corps Support Command, which oversaw the distribution of military fuel, food, water and other supplies to U.S. forces across Iraq. Morrison handled satellite and computer communications and drove a truck. It was never made clear where the unit was or what they were doing in the logistical base when the mortar attacks began.
Her funeral was held in Paris on Tuesday, Sept. 14, following her hometown’s somber observance of Patriot Day on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Since news of her relocation was revealed last week, an outpouring of love, support and memories has flooded social media and local conversation.
“I still remember the last conversation I had with her in Baghdad,” Ben Shakman shared. “Glad to hear she’s moving to Arlington. She was a wonderful person and a great soldier. She deserves eternal rest with the other heroes on hallowed ground.”
“Thinking of this lovely young lady’s family and friends. So glad for our many memories with her,” Rhonda Connelly commented.
A. Mark Neuman, a family spokesperson, shared his belief that the internment in Arlington is both an “honor and reassurance to her family,” with reporters from Champaign, where Morrison attended Parkland College.
“On Memorial Day, people come there from all over the country to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, and (her parents) want Shawna to be with other people who gave their lives to this country in a section of the cemetery where many of the combat casualties are buried,” Neuman said. “There’s permanent infrastructure to make sure there’s a flag on Memorial Day, that there’s a wreath on Christmas, and so on. That means a lot.”
Morrison will be the first U of I student killed in action to be buried at Arlington in more than 50 years. She was also the first then-enrolled University of Illinois student to be killed in action since World War II.
While her final resting place has changed, members of the Paris community still plan to honor and remember the fallen soldier.
“The Honeybee 5K was renamed almost immediately in her honor,” Erin Hutchison, Executive Director at the Paris Rec Center, explained. “She was a runner. We all knew that; we all remember her running.”
The Shawna Morrison 5K Race, planned for Sept. 27 of this year, features support from the local VFW, the American Legion, members of the 1544th and the Army National Guard every year. The event opens with tributes to the fallen soldier, flags and a singing of the National Anthem.
Additional information on the memorial race can be found online at www.parisrec.org or on Facebook by searching “Shawna Morrison memorial 5K.”