‘ETERNAL HERO’

PALMER — Shane Woods walked on the right side of the line that divides good from evil.

“It’s a jagged line to be sure, but it separates two fundamental philosophies,” Palmer Mayor John Combs said. “These men and women stand at that line … and one such guard was Army Spc. Shane Woods.”

Woods, a 2003 Palmer High School graduate and third-generation Valley resident, was killed Aug. 9, 2006 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq.

“From that moment on, Shane became an eternal hero,” Combs said.

On Friday, the mayor dedicated the city’s new urban revitalization trail the “Shane Woods Memorial Trail.” An emotional Woods family — parents Wayne and Mae, sister Stephanie and grandparents Noel and Gene Woods — expressed gratitude.

“When we heard about the trail we were, of course, very pleased,” Wayne said. “We think it’s a very appropriate action for the city to take honoring Shane’s memory. He truly was a son of the Matanuska Valley and loved Palmer.”

State Sen. Charlie Huggins, whose son Chad was a classmate of Shane’s, fought back tears in expressing his gratitude to the Woods family.

“Chad’s in Iraq now,” Huggins said, “and he said he loves Shane. He loves him.”

That admiration was shared by many, Woods’ father said. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Shane knew his path would lead to the military, Wayne said.

“He was called to be a soldier and he excelled at it,” he said. “He died doing the right thing and it was a job that needed to be done. Shane made no bones about why he was serving. He was serving his country because he did love his home here in the Palmer area and all the opportunities he had growing up.”

It was shortly after Shane was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom that he communicated to his family the daunting mission facing U.S. forces.

“He said, ‘Dad, you just can’t believe the evil we’re fighting over here. People just can’t understand the task we have in overcoming this,’” Wayne said. “It’s an evil on a scale we can’t even comprehend here in America.”

Someone who can comprehend the evil is Spc. Joshua Revak, who served in Woods’ unit in Iraq and was a good friend. He first noticed Shane’s’ unflappable character in Germany.

“We were coming back from our first appointment in Iraq,” he said. “Our unit came back and Shane was guarding our gear. We all rallied in a big field area in front of our headquarters. I remember looking around and Shane was the guy at our gear. All the other guys were sitting down and mad they had to be there. Shane stood at attention in front of our stuff for two hours. We knew he was amazing from the get-go. He did what he knew was right.”

Revak said Shane “was a great soldier,” but that it was his “unbreakable faith that sticks out the most. He’s changed a lot of lives. We used to have prayer meetings and a lot of people took serious notice. … When we had tough times, we’d quote Bible verses to each other.”

Although nearly three years have passed since Shane was killed, his father said it’s still difficult to accept his son is gone. While he mourns, he also feels immense pride.

“It’s what I have to hold onto,” he said. “It’s Shane’s testimony that no matter what happened, the cost was worth it.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.