Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

This week’s Greenville Advocate Hero of the Week, veteran Mike Shaw, recalls being the oldest US Reserves recruit during basic training in Texas. Originally from Union Springs in Bullock County, Shaw said joined the Reserves at age 35, just in time to meet the age cutoff, because he needed a change and wanted to find discipline in his life.

“I joined the Air Force Reserves in September of 1985,” Shaw said. “It’s easy to remember the date because I joined the day before my eligibility ran out. You can join the reserves up until age 35.”

Shaw said his age led to an unusual dynamic, especially with his younger instructors. Despite the age gap, he rose to the challenge and became a squad leader. Shaw said he enlisted 

“I was in a dead-end, going-nowhere job,” Shaw said. “I was doing telephone installation and repair and the pay wasn’t that great. I just didn’t like the direction my life was going. I needed a little discipline and what better place to find discipline.”

Over his 22-year career, Shaw worked as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic and technician, serving in a range of deployments, from the Panama Canal Zone to the Gulf War. He also participated in Operation ‘Just Cause’ against Noriega and served in various hostile regions including Germany, Sarajevo, Kosovo and Bosnia. Shaw noted the ever-present risks in these regions. 

“They were all hostile fire zones,” he said. “We knew there was a good possibility of being shot at. At one point, I was there volunteering with the Tennessee Air Guard, and all 20 planes were shot at.”

Shaw’s service extended into Operation “Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Reflecting on his time in Iraq, Shaw remarked, “There were only two days the whole time I was there without IEDs or mortars or suicide bombers.” 

He returned from Iraq injured and in poor health, leading to hospitalization for pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Shaw was declared 100% disabled by the VA after his return.

Shaw’s motivation for serving so long was deeply personal.

“My father served in World War II,” he said. “He saw combat himself and suffered with what they called ‘shell shock’ back then, or battle fatigue. My older brother also was in the Army Guard and I would go to the base and visit him.” 

The veteran revealed a lingering guilt over being drafted into Vietnam in 1972 but receiving a medical deferment. 

“I always felt guilty because a lot of my friends were serving,” he admitted.

Shaw and his wife, Becky have two children, Jessica and Jason. Known for his service and dedication, he is a longtime member of the American Legion. 

Former Commander Liza Berry, who has known Shaw for nearly 20 years, described him as a team player and a dedicated volunteer. 

“He’s a hard worker and a team player. He’s also a very intelligent man,” Berry said. “If I was dropped in a jungle, I’d want him with me. He has all the survival skills. He knows all the edible plants and how to use them.”

Berry added that Shaw is currently volunteering at Cornwallis, a historical homestead museum,teaching life skills such as hunting, fishing and even arrow-making. 

“He really understands that knowledge is going to be lost without people willing to share it, and he’s very willing to share what he knows,” Berry said.