Army Pfc. Shane D. Penley

Died April 6, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Sauk Village, Ill.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died April 6 at Patrol Base Copper, Iraq, from wounds sustained while on duty at a guard post.

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Governor orders flags lowered to honor fallen soldier

The Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s governor has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of a Fort Campbell soldier who died in Iraq.

The Department of Defense says 19-year-old Shane D. Penley from Sauk Village, Ill., died Sunday at a patrol base from wounds suffered while on duty at a guard post. The military says the incident is under investigation.

Penley was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.

He entered the Army in June 2007 and arrived at Fort Campbell in October.

The Army says he is survived by his parents, David and Dena Penley of Sauk Village.

Gov. Steve Beshear said Tuesday that flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Penley’s funeral.

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Army Pfc. Shane D. Penley remembered

The Associated Press

Once during a high school wrestling match, Shane D. Penley was elbowed by an opponent. Penley didn’t want the referee to stop the match.

“He wanted to keep going,” said friend Jesse Patino. “Shane was bleeding. He was determined to win. He still wrestled, cleaned himself off and then won the match. He showed pride in stuff.”

Penley, 19, of Sauk Village, Ill., was killed April 6 after he was hit by a sniper’s bullet. He was a 2007 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell.

Whether it was the daily battles on the basketball court — in the rain, snow and sun — or on the football field, Patino said his friend played his heart out and was determined to do everything.

Jessica Otwell remembered meeting Penley about 10 years ago after she moved down the street. “Shane always had a smile on his face,” she said. “That smile — no matter what the situation was.”

He is survived by his parents, David and Dena Penley.

“He always wanted to be a hero,” David Penley said. “He’s our little hero. I’m sure whatever the situation was, he stuck his neck out there. He was very brave, very brave.”