Shane Patton was a U.S. Navy SEAL who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. Shane was born at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California on November 15, 1982. He was the second son of James Patton, who himself, was also a Navy SEAL. Shane grew up surfing the beaches of California with other children of military parents. He was raised alongside his older brother, Jimmy, and two younger brothers, Dean and Chase. Shane poured his heart into the things he loved and cherished. Music, drawing, art, surfing, wrestling and skateboarding to name a few. He was an individual that made you laugh harder than anyone in life, His personality was so electric. You’d always remember his laugh. After Shane’s father retired from the SEAL teams, the family moved back to Boulder City, where past generations of the Patton family lived dating back to the construction of the Hoover Dam. Shane went to Boulder City High School where he played baseball for the Eagles as a pitcher and outfielder. I believe playing baseball in this city taught Shane some core values of hard work, leadership, and never letting his teammates fall behind. Shane graduated in the year 2000. Seemingly out of the blue, Shane decided he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a Navy SEAL. He immediately began a rigorous regiment to prepare himself mentally and physically for the extensive training he would have to endure to be apart of the less than 30% of individuals who successfully become a Navy SEAL. After finishing the Basic Underwater Demolition Seal Training, otherwise known as BUD/S, Shane was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There, he became a expert diver and pilot of an SDV. A SEAL Delivery Vehicle is a small two or four-man submarine that is flooded and runs dark during operation. The ultimate claustrophobia capsules. Shane deployed with Alfa platoon to the Middle East. Alfa platoon was to rendezvous at the forward operating base (FOB) in Bahrain. When problems with the Taliban were heating up, half the platoon was sent to Afghanistan to satisfy the personnel needed. While in Afghanistan, Shane was a part of many combat operations. He fought against insurgents and terrorism with his Navy brothers. During Operation Red Wings, Shane was one of many other SEALs and Army Night Stalkers who were tasked to be on a Quick Reaction Force in case his SEAL brethren encountered trouble. The call came to the base as Medal of Honor recipient and fellow Navy SEAL Lt. Mike Murphy heroically stepped out to a position of “open line of fire” to gain satellite reception for backup support. From what we were told, Shane was the second man to board that Chinook helicopter to rescue his teammates. As the helicopter approached the firefight, the team prepared to fast rope off the ramp of the Chinook. As the ramp dropped, a Taliban operative fired a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) in through the rear of the helo. The Chinook helicopter exploded and Shane, along with his brothers and crew, were killed. At that time, this event in history was known as the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history and was highly chronicled in the book and movie, Lone Survivor, detailed by Marcus Luttrell.