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Doctor Paul King Shannon,
a true patriot, was also a man of many talents
and interests. Husband and Father, second only to Gods will,
he devoted time, energy, and financial assistance to organizations in need
of his help.
He is a man to be remembered and respected throughout his
community and by all those whom knew him.
On 11/22/2006 , 8:00 AM - Dr. Paul K Shannon was selected to
serve as the 2006 New Albany Christmas Parade Grand Marshall.
Courtesy of The New Albany Gazette
Dr. Shannon served the citizens of New Albany and Union County as
an optometrist for 40 years and still continues to serve as a dedicated
civic leader, church member, and resident of New Albany.
UCDA Executive Director Glenn Duckworth stated, “Dr. Shannon
is an outstanding citizen whose contributions to this community are too
numerous to list. It is an honor to have him serve as Grand Marshall
of this year’s parade.”
Dr. Shannon served our country bravely in World War II and is a retired
captain from the Mississippi National Guard. Shannon was also a founding
organizer of the New Albany National Guard unit.
He has served as member of the Board of Directors of the following
organizations:
· Founding Board of the New Albany/Union County Airport
· Founding Board of the North Haven Water System
· Longtime member of the New Albany School Board
· Member of the State Association of School Boards
· Member of the Board of Erskine College
· Member of the Board of the Presbyterian Orphanage in Rosemark,
Tennessee.
Dr. Shannon also serves as President of the ARP Foundation. He has
been a delegate to Presbytery and Synod and served Cleveland Street
Presbyterian Church as Deacon and Elder.
While Shannon has traveled to many places, especially during his service
in the Army, he fondly states, “New Albany and Union County is our home.
There is no better place to live.”
 : : : 
Paul during his Army Years
A Tragic Christmas,
( an event remembered by Doc Shannon.)
~~~~He was there~~~~
A soldier in the 563rd Ordnance Maintenance Company
After its liberation on 7 September 1944, the Belgian village of Esneux, situated on the Ourthe River south of Liege, was home to numerous soldiers. In the village, the Raze factory, specializing in agricultural equipment, was requisitioned by the 563rd Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company. On 14 September 1944, they opened a tank repair and maintenance facility.
Their headquarters and mess were setup on a hill overlooking the river in the village school. Every morning, the American technicians (as well as the Esneux civilians whom they had hired) went down about two kilometers to the Raze factory, which was situated, on a strand between the Ourthe River and a disaffected canal. There were two access routes to the factory, one road following the river for heavy vehicles, and a path (formerly used by horses to draw barges) following the canal.
The Americans had been there for several months when on 16 December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge broke out. The Americans and their Belgian hosts lived in a double fear: the return of the nazi troops and the fall of V-1 bombs. Winter had also arrived and the canal was frozen over.
On 24 December, Midnight Mass was sung by the American troops; the hymns alternating with the sinister noise of the V-1 bombs.
The Kursaal, Esneux, Belgium
Permission to use photo courtesty of
Henri Rogister
The next morning, while the other GI's were still celebrating Christmas with the local residents, the American technicians of the 563rd went down to work, as heavy equipment at the nearby front was severely lacking.
After work, sixteen Americans boarded a canvas-covered truck for the return trip to their barracks. The driver, instead of taking the road along the river, started down the path bordering the canal.
The crowd on the other side of the canal, mesmerized, watched the truck slowly advance. A few more yards and it would make it to the bridge across the sluice. But catastrophe struck… the path gave way and the truck overturned into a icy water, trapping it's occupants under the truck. Other GI's in the crowd, despite the cold, dove in to try to save their comrades, but in vain. The cold and the water has done it work quickly, and soon, a dozen corpses were laid out in a nearby cafe. (The Kursaal)
Fitfy six years have passed, and the people of Esneux have erected a small memorial to the memory of these twelve Americans who died tragically on a Christmas day so that others could enjoy liberty.
(Army memory written by Jean NINANE)
Sunday, 07 January 2001
Plaque inaugurated on December 25, 2000
Permission to use photos courtesty of
Henri Rogister
Esneux - August, 2007
Photo Courtesy of Henri Rogister
Presented
by
~shannon1 at shannonfamilies.com
~
©2007
cd/ngu
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