BIOGRAPHIES - Class of 2004

First Lieutenant Shaun Michael BLUE USMCR
BS Philsophy 2004
TBS 2004 MOS Unknown
Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant USMC 2004
Further Education Unknown
[Deceased] - Iraq Apr 2007 [RIP Marine]
Spouse None

Biography:

Obituary:

1st Lt. Shaun M. Blue, 25, of Munster, Indiana, died April 16, 2007, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Blue was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California.

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SHAUN MICHAEL BLUE Munster, Indiana Age 25 of Munster, Indiana, passed away on April 16, 2007, while protecting us all in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was going back to help others in need when he was killed.

Shaun was a very special person. In his short years on this earth, he touched and made a difference in the lives of an incredible amount of people. His loving heart, compassion and strong sense of loyalty led him to a career in the United States Marine Corp. where he felt he could protect us and make it so we could all live our lives the way they were without fear. Shaun had a brilliant mind and could have chosen any path for his future. He chose the path in which he felt he could make a difference. He did. He lit up every room by being the life of the party and everyone's best friend. Most of all he was the best brother anyone could ask for. He will be dearly missed.

Shaun graduated top ten from Munster High School in 2000, where he was involved in many sporting and Scouting activities. He then graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004 with a degree in Philsophy. He was commissioned as an officer of the United States Marine Corps on the same day as his graduation from USC.

In his free time, Shaun enjoyed being with others, reading and the outdoors. He was an avid fisherman and hunter and loved being in the great outdoors. He wanted to learn about everything and read everything he could.

Shaun is survived by his loving parents, Jim and Debbe Blue; sister and best friend, Amy Blue; big brother, Dan Blue and sister-in-law, Annalisa Blue, all of Munster. He is also survived by his grandmother, Mary Ortman; grandfather, Ted Blue; cousins, uncles, aunts; countless friends especially Niall O'Reilly, David Artus and Jake Hyles; and his "boys" and "brothers" of the Marines.

Donations may be made to The Heart of A Marine or www.heartofamarine.org

Published in the Post-Tribune from 4/21/2007 - 4/22/2007.

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Shaun M. Blue killed 'while conducting combat operations'

A brilliant mind. A true friend. A National Merit scholar. The most promising individual.

Those were the words Shaun Blue's friends and teachers used to describe the 25-year-old Munster man who could have achieved anything, but chose to serve with the Marine Corps in Iraq, where he was killed Monday.

Blue was never one to make rash decisions, and he chose his career path the way he decided to do everything in his life, his college roommate said. Blue was a philosophy major at the University of Southern California, and everything he did was thoughtful and carefully planned, said Mike Bell, who lived with Blue for several years when they were in college.

Originally, Blue wanted to join the Navy, but he switched to the Marine Corps because he wanted to lead Marines in combat, Bell said.

"He wouldn't have had it any other way," Bell said. "He was absolutely brilliant, probably the smartest person I've ever known."

And while he wanted to be in combat, Blue was a quiet, calm, thoughtful person who loved to fish and to camp, and relished his time alone in nature. Whenever he had some free time, Blue drove to a national forest, and went hunting and fishing. He would call his friends to let them know they'd be having trout for dinner.

On rainy days, Blue could be found in the college library, reading books about architecture or history. Not because he needed to for an assignment, but because he was interested in the world and wanted to learn everything he could.

In order to lead the troops, Blue knew he'd have to have a college degree, so he worked hard and patiently, and when he graduated from USC, he became an officer for the Marine Corps, someone leaders said they were thrilled to have join them.

"He was smart, hard as nails, in great shape," said Lt. Brian Donnelly. Blue served in Donnelly's platoon when he joined the Marine Corps three years ago. "It's a common thing to find smart, in-shape Marines, but he took that to a different level. He served as an example to everyone else."

Blue was sent to Iraq twice, and he never showed any signs of being scared or worried something might happen to him. Ironically, Blue was the last person anyone thought would be killed. He was always so careful, so steady, so "super human," said Bell, Blue's best friend.

"You always kind of felt like he was going to survive," Bell said. "You never really thought that he was in any real danger."

Whenever Blue would call Bell from Iraq, he brushed aside questions about combat zones and his life in Iraq. He wanted to find out what his friends were doing in his absence, how nature was looking, how hunting was going.

Blue may have defied the stereotype of a military man, but Maj. West Hayes, Marine Corps recruiting spokesman, said Blue simply reflected another aspect of the Marines.

Hayes screens new recruits for their moral, physical, mental and educational strengths, and he said the military embraces recruits with exceptional educational and moral character such as Blue.

From the Post Tribune

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