Six years after Marine Lance Cpl. Shane Goldman died in the line of duty in Iraq, tears welled in the eyes of his father, George “Scooter” Goldman, when V.I. National Guard Brig. Gen. Renaldo Rivera presented him with his son’s V.I. Medal of Honor Friday in a seaside ceremony by Breezez restaurant.
"All of you who have stood by me all these years, I love each and every one of you and Shane loved you too," the elder Goldman said. "He wrote that he did in his last letter to me."
Shane was 20 when his unit came under fire in April 2004 in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, becoming the first but not the last V.I. soldier to perish in the line of duty during that long-running conflict.
"He never even owned a car. That’s how young he was," Goldman said of his son.
For the military, the Medal of Honor is bestowed on a member of the armed forces who distinguishes himself by gallantry and at the risk of his life, beyond the call of duty, while engaged in combat action. The medal is often awarded posthumously.
The V.I. Medal of Honor, bestowed by the V.I. Legislature, has a similar meaning and is given in thanks to the sacrifices made by the sons and daughters of the territory. Last year, the 27th Legislature held two plaque presentation ceremonies and presented awards to the family members of Lt. Col. David Canegata III, Sgt. 1st Class Floyd Lake, Spc. Jose Emmanuel Rosario and Pfc. Jason Lynch on St. Croix.
After living on the island for the better part of a decade, Goldman moved back to the mainland in 2008, and Rivera accepted on his behalf and pledged to get in touch with him.
"All he has to do is ask and we will assist him in any way we can — that goes for all the other families too," Rivera said.
Along with the medal, Rivera presented Goldman with a plaque of the Legislature’s resolution honoring his son.
The ceremony was held under cloudy skies at the site of a small monument to Shane under a palm tree on the grass near the beach at Breezes. Father and son often watched the sunsets on that shoreline and in Shane’s last letter to his father — one delivered upon the event of his death — Shane spoke of meeting his father in spirit upon that beach. With the approval of the Club St. Croix Condo Association, Goldman erected a small monument to his son and the V.I. government planted a date tree.
Some St. Croix friends of Goldman spoke a few words for the occasion.
“In the last month, I’m happy to say there are no more Marines in Iraq, thanks to the many sacrifices of young men like Shane,” said Peter Ross, a former marine and Vietnam veteran.
“Just put in your own words the gratitude I have for the people here, I can’t express it," Goldman said after the ceremony was over. "Even though I am gone now, the support they have given me will never be forgotten. I don’t have any family and really all my family was here, though they do not know it. … This island has a soul."
The elder Goldman came to St. Croix in 1999 to work at Turner Enterprises. After the death of his son, he moved back to the mainland "to be closer to where Shane is buried," he said. Shane is buried in his hometown of Orange, Texas. His father now lives in West Virginia, working in the oil business.
