|
| Stanley
P. Shankman |
| NO.
17940 • 5 Jun 1927– 19 Jan 1952 |
Died
in Sandspit, British Columbia
Interred in Mt. Judah Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY |
Stanley Paul Shankman, born in Brooklyn, NY, loved his hometown
and all the great activities available to a growing boy in the metropolitan
area. Stan and his brother, Herb, enjoyed a secure and happy childhood,
adored by loving parents and encouraged in all their endeavors.
During his youth, Stan developed a love for baseball, with the Brooklyn
Dodgers as his favorite team. He once concluded that a particular
Dodger pitcher was the best in baseball, although, on the day the
pitcher was suddenly traded, Stan commented, "He never could
pitch, anyway." Stan’s loyalty was to the team.
Stan was an excellent student. He took academics in stride and graduated
from Brooklyn Midwood High School in 1943 at age 16. As a high school
student during WWII, Stan followed the war closely and deeply admired
our armed forces. Those global national challenges throughout Stan’s
formative years influenced his decision to join the military.
Following graduation from high school, Stan attended New York University
for two years. During that time, his parents enjoyed the company
of friends who had a son, Edwin Marks '49, at West Point. Those
proud parents and Edwin had a positive impact upon Stan, and it
cemented his desire to attend West Point.
In June 1945 Stan joined the Coast Guard with the intent of pursuing
his ambition to become a cadet. Four months later, he transferred
to the Army and quickly earned admission to the U.S. Military Academy
Preparatory School at Amherst, MA. He attended the school from November
1945 until March 1946 and worked hard during this time to obtain
an appointment from the 11th Congressional District of New York.
In March 1946, Stan took his physical and written entrance examinations
for West Point. His successful completion of those challenging tests
was a source of great joy for him. Stan reported to the Academy
on 1 Jul 1946, a proud member of the Class of '50.
Stan adapted well to the rigor and discipline of Academy life and
never seemed unduly stressed. He was particularly good at languages
and studied German. He often studied it out loud, thereby exposing
his unwilling roommates to the language. Years later, one of his
roommates reported that, while stationed in Europe, he could easily
regale German listeners with German poems without having the slightest
idea what he was saying.
Stan was an excellent handball player. He preferred to keep this
fact to himself, allowing his opponents to find out about his skills
on the courts. He was a gracious winner and an accomplished post
game kibitzer. He was a fun competitor.
His classmates also remember Stan as fastidious with his personal
hygiene. After shaving at the hallway sink each morning, he always
applied a generous amount of Yardley Shave Lotion, nearly asphyxiating
fellow cadets in the vicinity. He was kidded about it, but it never
deterred him.
Stan was a considerate and pleasant roommate. He enjoyed presenting
a gruff exterior, but those who knew him found him to be soft of
heart and delightfully witty. During Plebe year, when a roommate
unexpectedly entered the hospital, Stan visited him within the hour
and frequently thereafter. He brought the usual supplies and reading
material. Occasionally, he would smuggle something delectable from
the mess hall, a plebe triumph of no small significance.
Upon graduation on 6 Jun 1950, Stan was commissioned in the Signal
Corps. Twelve days after graduation, Stan married his sweetheart,
Naomi Mirkin, in a beautiful ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel
in New York City.
Stan’s and Naomi's first assignment was to the 51st Signal
Operations Battalion at Ft. Meade, MD, and the couple enjoyed their
brief time together there. In August 1950, the battalion departed
for Korea, via Japan, to support I Corps, joining them at Taegu
inside the Pusan Perimeter in September 1950. Stan was assigned
as the communications liaison officer with Korean, British, Canadian,
and U.S. combat units during some of the fiercest fighting of the
war. He performed his duties with courage and was dedicated to his
men.
One of his classmates recalled an incident involving Stan in Korea.
One of Stan’s soldiers was running around with a carbine,
threatening others. Stan just walked up to the soldier and calmly
started talking to him. The agitated soldier finally handed the
carbine to him. The classmate reported, "It was unbelievably
brave of Stan."
In January 1952, Stan’s father suffered a heart attack. While
returning to the States from Korea on emergency leave, his DC 4
aircraft touched down at Sandspit Airport, British Columbia. The
pilot saw the field was too short, and immediately took off for
a new approach. He apparently circled too soon and the aircraft
plunged into the frigid surf 400 yards off the end of the runway.
Tragically, Stan perished in that crash.
Stan was with us for a very brief time. We remember him as a good
man, gentle and compassionate. We also remember the "indomitable
spirit" mentioned in his 50 Howitzer narrative. The military
career he earnestly sought lasted only 18 months. He and his lovely
wife, Naomi, were able to spend just two months together before
being separated by the winds of war.
1LT Stanley Paul Shankman served honorably in a country he had never
known, to protect the freedom of strangers he had never met. He
did his duty. Yet the length of his life is not as important as
its quality. Stan’s star burned briefly but brilliantly, and
it lit the fires of all those who were fortunate enough to know
him and to love him. The memory of him survives. Well done, Stan.
Be thou at peace.
-- His roommates
|
USMA 1950