|
Donald Palmer Shaw
was born in Charleston, SC, the second son of Harry and Lila Palmer
Shaw, sandwiched between older brother Harry and younger brother
Bruce. He graduated from Porter Military Academy in Charleston and
then competed for and won an Honor Military School appointment to
West Point.
Don was an able debater for the Class of 1954, graduating 23rd out
of 634 and receiving the Eisenhower Award for standing first in his
class in Military Psychology and Leadership.
Don was commissioned in Armor. Following the Basic Course at Fort
Knox, KY and Ranger school at Fort Benning, GA, he became a tank
platoon leader in the 4th Armored Division at Fort Hood, TX. In
1956, he went to Turkey as aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Eric
Svensson in the Joint Military Mission. This was a most
consequential assignment for Don, for it was there that he met,
courted, and married Joan Ferrall, daughter of Rear Admiral William
Ferrall. Together, Don and Joan had three sons: Peter, David, and
William (known as Palmer).
Returning from Turkey in 1958, Don became a troop commander at Fort
Lewis, WA. Next, attending the Advanced Course at Fort Knox, he
graduated first in his class. Don’s military education also included
the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, plus
civilian schooling at Harvard, where he earned both an MPA
(including the Defense Policy Seminar under Henry Kissinger) and an
MA in history.
During a four-year assignment at West Point, Don taught in the
Department of Social Sciences, chaired the National Debate
Tournament, and received a two-month fellowship from the American
Society of Middle Eastern Studies for summer study in Egypt, Jordan,
and Israel.
Another summer assignment was complicated. Don was assigned to
assist with military training of yearling cadets. By that time he
had acquired his signature mustache. The Tactical Department
considered that unmilitary and suggested Don get rid of it. Don
countered that the adornment was sanctioned by regulations and he
had become fond of it. The TACs persisted in their objections, and
Don continued to insist on his rights, until eventually an alternate
summer billet was found for him. After this, it is rumored that Don
was fond of quoting a definition (attributed to his department head,
Colonel George Lincoln) of the Tactical Department as “a
self-perpetuating oligarchy of goats,” but this cannot be confirmed.
From the West Point faculty Don went to Leavenworth and then for the
first of two tours in Vietnam, serving as an advisor in the Go Cong
Province and then at the Vietnamese National Military Academy. He
was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, an
Air Medal, and the Vietnamese Armed Forces Honor Medal (First
Class).
Leaving Vietnam, Don went to Germany to command 3rd Squadron, 7th
Cavalry in the 3rd Infantry Division. These were difficult times for
the Army in Europe, with the demands of Vietnam drawing resources
from throughout the rest of the Army and leaving units elsewhere
seriously short of virtually every necessity. Despite these
impediments, Don performed brilliantly. His commander wrote the
following on his evaluation: “… his squadron qualified 100 percent
of their tanks in the 1969 Tank Crew Qualification Course. More than
50 percent of their tanks qualified as distinguished. This is an
all-time USAREUR record.”
Following further duty in Europe as XO to the USAREUR Chief of
Staff, Don returned to Vietnam, this time serving as a MACV J3 plans
officer. Then, back in the United States after nearly six years
overseas, he was assigned as deputy director of the Operations Group
of the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA.
After a year in that post, Don joined the War College Class of 1974,
where he excelled both academically and as a member of the Current
Affairs Panel, which visited civilian universities to discuss
military matters, a challenging task in the atmosphere of the late
Vietnam War era.
After graduation he stayed on as a member of the faculty in the
Department of National and International Security Studies. His
department chairman said Don was “the architect and prime mover
behind the first integrated core curriculum in the history of the
Army War College, a conjunction of national security, strategy, and
defense management studies endorsed by the Deputy Secretary of
Defense’s board on Excellence in Military Education as the model
‘common overview’ concept for all five Senior Service Colleges.”
Don’s final active duty assignment was as Director of the Military
History Institute at Carlisle Barracks. Among his innovations during
seven years as its head were the introduction of an oral history
program addressing “Company Command in Combat” and strong support
for an expanded history component of the War College curriculum.
Said Dr. Richard Sommers, MHI’s distinguished senior historian,
“This elegant and polished gentleman managed the Institute with
deftness and class.” War College Commandant Major General DeWitt C.
Smith Jr. wrote that Don “possesses all qualities,” singling out
moral courage, “…because he possesses it abundantly, and it is a
precious quality in short supply.”
Don retired in 1984 after 30 years of service. He and Joan stayed in
Carlisle, where Don was employed for several years as a project
manager by Cubic Applications and then as president of Carlisle
Research & Analysis Group.
Don Shaw was a man of dazzling intellect, rock solid integrity, and
unwavering devotion to duty, charming wit, and enduring loyalty to
his troops, his family, and his friends. He never gave less than his
best effort. Those of us privileged to serve with him continue to
take strength from his great example. May he rest in peace.
—
Fellow Graduates and Family |
