SSG Alan Shaw Foundation

Honoring the legacy of SSG Alan W. Shaw. Building Legacy Flights to help Gold Star families visit their heroes on the days that matter most.

[SSG Alan Shaw Foundation @SSGAlanShaw]

Welcome to the SSG Alan Shaw Foundation.

This foundation is being created to honor the life, service, and legacy of SSG Alan W. Shaw, who was killed in action on February 9, 2007, while serving with B Co, 1-12 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division in Baqubah, Iraq.

[SharrellAnne @SharrellAnne2]

A lot of people have been asking how things are progressing with the SSG Alan Shaw Foundation, so I wanted to give y’all a quick update.

I had a great conversation today with the attorney who will be helping us get the legal side of everything squared away. That process is now moving forward, which is exciting because it means we’re getting closer to turning this from an idea into something tangible.

The next hurdle is funding.

Before we can start helping families, there are startup costs that come with building a nonprofit organization the right way. Filing fees, insurance, a website, and all the other things that happen behind the scenes before anyone ever sees the finished product.

My hope is that once we’re ready, we can raise those initial funds together while we’re waiting on our 501(c)(3) status.

I’ve been blown away by the number of people who’ve reached out wanting to help. Every message, every idea, every offer of support has meant more than you know.

We’re still at the beginning of this journey, but we’re moving forward.

One step at a time.

♥️🇺🇸♥️

[SharrellAnne @SharrellAnne2]

Every time I open this flag case, I think about the flight home from Arlington.

Tucked inside the folded flag that draped Alan’s coffin are the expended rounds from his 21-gun salute. To anyone else, they were just spent casings. To me, they were part of his final honors. Part of his story.

When it came time to fly home, TSA informed me that the rounds were going to be a problem.

I informed TSA that so was leaving them behind.

I had no intention of checking this case. It wasn’t leaving my sight. At that point in my life, it felt like one of the last pieces of Alan I still had. Either I was getting on that plane with the entire flag case, or I was apparently going to become a permanent resident of Reagan National Airport.

We went back and forth for a while.

Eventually, we found a solution that worked for everyone, and I boarded the plane with the case exactly as I had intended.

I’ve laughed about that standoff more than once over the years, but the truth is there was nothing funny about how fiercely protective I felt of it at the time. Grief has a way of attaching itself to objects. Not because they’re things, but because of what they represent.

Today, this case holds a few other reminders of Alan’s legacy. One of them is this coin from @TulsiGabbard that recently made an unexpected journey home.

And the story of how it got here is a reminder that there are still some incredible Americans out there. ♥️

[SharrellAnne @SharrellAnne2]

Before we head off to church this morning, I wanted to give everyone a quick update on where we are with the SSG Alan Shaw Foundation.

First, an amazing patriot has connected us with an attorney who specializes in nonprofit organizations. I’ll be reaching out this week to hopefully get the paperwork process underway and make sure we’re building this the right way from the start.

We’ve also started putting the foundation together behind the scenes and have already locked in a few board members, including a combat veteran and current law enforcement officer who was one of Alan’s childhood friends.

So far, we’ve identified three areas we’d ultimately like the foundation to serve.

The first is Legacy Flights, helping Gold Star families visit the final resting places of their loved ones.

The second is creating a way for patriots living near national cemeteries to connect with Gold Star families and visit their fallen hero’s grave on special days when the family can’t be there themselves.

The third is something our oldest son has talked about for nearly a decade. He’s an avid outdoorsman who loves hunting, fishing, and the outdoors just as much as Alan did. For years he’s dreamed of creating opportunities for Gold Star families, combat veterans, and their loved ones to connect, make memories, and enjoy the outdoors together. That program will be called Section 60 Outdoors.

None of this is going to happen overnight, but the wheels are already turning.

Most importantly, please keep praying for us. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the right people to come alongside us. And pray that God continues opening doors if this is where He wants us to go.🙏

What we’re building is bigger than any one person. It’s a community of patriots who believe service, sacrifice, remembrance, and legacy still matter.

Thank y’all for believing in this vision and helping bring it to life.

We’re going to make it happen together.♥️🇺🇸♥️

[SSG Alan Shaw Foundation @SSGAlanShaw]

We’re just getting started, but we’re glad you’re here.

With deepest gratitude,

Sharrell Shaw
Gold Star Wife & Founder

[SSG Alan Shaw Foundation @SSGAlanShaw]

Welcome to the SSG Alan Shaw Foundation.

This foundation is being created to honor the life, service, and legacy of SSG Alan W. Shaw, who was killed in action on February 9, 2007, while serving with B Co, 1-12 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division in Baqubah, Iraq.

[SSG Alan Shaw Foundation @SSGAlanShaw]

After seeing the incredible response to Alan’s story this Memorial Day, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something meaningful could come from it.

Our first initiative, Legacy Flights, is being developed to help Gold Star families visit their heroes on the days that matter most.