Shane O”Donnell sang for four years in his high school choir and had a smile that could lift people”s spirits when they were down. “Nice voice and a great smile _ the type of kid you just wanted to look at 24/7 because he always made you feel better, no matter how you felt”, said Linda Meier, O”Donnell”s former choir teacher. O”Donnell, 24, of DeForest, Wis., was killed in an attack Nov. 8 in Iraq. O”Donnell, a construction worker, had recently attended a local technical college, said Sgt. Michael Reiland, who served with O”Donnell. “He was a hard charger. He was always motivated and was always willing to do what was necessary to get the mission accomplished”, Reiland said. He was “just an upbeat, happy-go-lucky guy”. Gary Andrewjeski, O”Donnell”s former football coach, said O”Donnell was a likeable student. “He just always wanted to be a part of something. You would treat him like your own son”.
Lance Cpl. Shane K. O’Donnell of DeForest, Wisc. graduated from DeForest Area High School in 1999. There, he played baseball, football and sang in the school’s choir. He later worked at the high school as a plumber with Hooper Corp. and earned a degree from Madison Area Technical College this year. As a youth he dodged cars when sledding down icy slopes into the street, played hundreds of games of flashlight tag after dark. He had a bumper sticker on his truck that read, “You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.” Shane was single and a construction worker who joined the Madison unit Oct. 30, 2002, and had recently attended Madison Area Technical College. He was a hard charger and was always motivated and willing to do what was necessary to get the mission accomplished; just an upbeat, happy-go-lucky guy. O’Donnell was in choir all four years at Deforest High School. He was just a super nice kid. He just always wanted to be a part of something. You would treat him like your own son. Shane died a hero. But more importantly, his friends and family recalled, he lived as one. He killed by enemy action in Babil province, Iraq at age 24.
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