Shane W. Cantu
Private First Class, United States Army
October 25, 1991 – August 28, 2012
Age – 20
Corunna, MI
Operation Enduring Freedom
1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Caserma Ederle, Vincenza, Italy
Killed after insurgents threw an explosive over a base wall.
Cantu joined the military after graduating from Corunna High School because he loved being part of a team. That’s what he really wanted to do. He was a three-year football starter at the mid-Michigan high school. His coach remembered him as the hardest working kid he ever coached. He was a winner — in more ways than just winning or losing a game. … He gave everything his all, and everybody wanted to follow him. That’s just who he was. He had a heart of gold, and his smile lit up the room.
His mother Jennifer Clarke remembered him. “My son PFC Shane Cantu was a 3 year starter for Corunna High School Varsity Football. Shane loved football, if they would him pitch a tent on the field, he would have. Shane has an awesome sense of humor, could always make people laugh, just bring you up when you’re feeling down. He liked being a part of a team and that’s why he joined the Army. He took his Army position very serious knowing that his fellow brothers in arms depended on him also. The community tells me my son is a HERO, my son has always been MY HERO.”
In time, Shane, who his mother described as always having “been a character,” due to his outgoing personality, fell in love with football, playing the sport throughout his school years and developing a close connection to his coaches. After high school, like many young people, Shane didn’t have a focus on what he wanted to do in life. He tried college, which didn’t work for him. Following his mother’s advice as she witnessed him making some bad decisions, he entered into the military – loving the Army.