Army Sergeant Shawn Michael Stoddard, born October of 1978, in Fremont County, Idaho, beloved husband of Tammy; beloved father of Colby and Allison.
Shawn attended Emmett High School and graduated from Sugar-Salem High School in 1997. His first eight years were at Parker and then he started living the cowboy life traveling with his father through Washington, New Mexico and Idaho. When he was 11, they moved to Caldwell. One of his favorite places was Sweet, where he spent all his free time helping his dad on the Seven Mile Ranch riding the hills and taking care of the cattle. They moved back to eastern Idaho when he was 15.
Shawn joined the United States Army in 2003, serving his basic training at Fort Knox. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was a calvary scout and sharpshooter having served two tours in Iraq assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team 4th Infantry Division. He loved the Army and was loyal to his country. At twenty-four Shawn was considered old by Army standards when he enlisting, but the high school football standout quickly made the rank of Sergeant. At the time of his death he was a calvary scout sniper. He had been missing since late October.
SGT Shawn Michael Stoddard lost his battle with PTSD, October 29, 2007, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was 29 years old.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my son and my oldest brother to suicides two years apart. My heart breaks for you.
The saddest part about Shawn’s death was the fact his unit refused to look for him when he was discovered missing. His first sergeant and commander lied about his status and aside from a few of his friends from his platoon, he was left behind. He may have not been able to have been helped but ther is a possibility that he could have been found and helped before his death. His unit did not do anything when it was discovered he didn’t show up for work and did nothing to locate him. Then after his death was discovered they lied about their actions because they knew a huge mistake had been made. I will never forget Shawn. I will never forget his unit leaving him in his time of need. I will never forget leaving a fellow soldier behind. I think of his family and friends often and wish more could have been done to help him before it was too late.