PFC Adam Roger Shepherd
Born Dec. 25, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Died Jan. 17, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq
PFC Adam R. Shepherd was from Sommerville, Ohio, the second of four sons born to Mark and Susan Miller. Growing up, his goal was to serve in the military. Dropping out of public school in 2002, he earned his diploma from a charter school and enlisted in the Army in January of 2003. At first some other soldiers thought Adam was a bit of a free spirit, perhaps a bit immature. But they soon learned that Adam just wanted everyone to be happy. If you were laughing with him or at him, he didn’t care. As long as you were happy, he was happy. Adam admired his older brother, who was serving in the Army at Fort Campbell, and in June Adam was also assigned to Fort Campbell. Together they served a tour of duty in Iraq from 2003-2004. As guards, the two of them often kept in the other soldiers in stitches with their tales of their experiences (mischief) growing up. For Adam’s second tour of duty, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. This tour showcased what Adam felt about serving; he was often worried about the welfare of his fellow soldiers, no task was too big, and he did it all with a smile. The camaraderie he felt, the deep caring and strength he got from serving was evident. On missions he asked to be the first man. His team leader asked him why he always wanted to be in that spot. Adam’s answer was pure Adam, “Look at the team and look at the squad. There are married people and people with children. I’m just here. I believe that it will be easier for a parent to cope with the loss of a grown boy, than for a young child to cope with the loss of a parent. I don’t have as much to lose as everyone else.” While Adam dreamed of going home to his family and perhaps working in his uncle’s carpentry business, his main concern was making sure the others went home to their families. On January 17, 2006, Adam suffered heart failure and died in his sleep. While his heart stopped beating, his joyful spirit lives on to those who knew and loved him. Adam was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Ohio. His mother Susan Miller, his stepfather Mark Miller, whom he called Dad, his father Roger and his three brothers, Joshua, Marcus and Elijah, survived him.
The PFC Adam Roger Shepherd by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
