MOUNT VERNON — Paddle For Heroes is a a small veterans organization dedicated to conservation and healing our Veterans and First Responders through recreational kayaking and canoeing.
This spring, the group will host its fifth annual Mount Vernon to Marietta kayak trip, a five-day, 162-mile adventure that starts on the Kokosing River and ends on the Ohio River.
This year the trip will be dedicated SSG Shamus O. Goare. He is described by friends and colleagues as a quiet young man who liked engineering and never sought fame or fortune. It was no surprise that he volunteered to be a flight engineer with the elite 3rd Battalion 160th Special Aviation Regiment or 3rd Battalion 160th SOAR, also known as the Night Stalkers.
SSG Goare was a perfect fit for the Night Stalkers, even excerpts from the creed fit his character:
“Quiet professional, secrecy is a way of life.”
“I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.”
In keeping with the Night Stalkers creed, SSG Goare gave his life on June 28, 2005 alongside 16 of his brothers during the deadliest time of the Afghanistan War.
He was killed when his Chinook helicopter was shot down during a QRF mission to rescue four Navy Operators who were under heavy enemy fire. One of his brothers eloquently wrote of his passing:
“Shamus, you and your crew went to the sounds of guns to help your fallen warriors. Never asking why. You just do it because that’s what we do. Most people will never hear the sounds of a battle or understand the bond that we share with our fellow warriors, our brother-in-arms. In your short time with us you were always there and you did it the right way, as a man and as a soldier. It was an honor to serve with with you and to be able to call you my friend.”
Though SSG Goare never bragged about his service, he did receive many awards. One very notworthy award was the Air Medal with V device, V for Valor. He earned that award by flying in doctors’ and medical supplies for children in the war-torn region of Afghanistan.
SSG Goare is survived by his Gold Star Father and Mother, Charles and Jdith Goare of Danville, Ohio. Donations can be made in honor of SSG Goares’ sacrifice to the Night Stalerks Association at https://www.nsa160.com/donations/.
