September 24, 1947
Father of one
Retired beer distributor
Pennsylvania to Michigan to Rhode Island and back to Michigan
Meet Mike Shaw
Michael William Shaw moved around a lot in his youth. His dad sold insurance, and back in those days, they “kind of got traded around like ball players.” He graduated from Warwick Veterans Memorial High School in Rhode Island in 1965. It was the beginning of the war. Combat troops were shipping overseas to Vietnam, but at 17-years-old, “you feel bulletproof.” So, Shaw joined the Navy in honor of his grandfather who retired the highest rank a non-commissioned officer could earn.
He made three, nine-month cruises on a CV-14, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga, she’s now retired and he made the last trip on “the old gal.” Although they sailed all over the Asia- Pacific, while on duty for the war, they sailed the notorious Gulf of Tonkin. Shaw was part of the war, but says it’s hard to explain what it’s like doing his part, loading bombs and arming guns, yet he was no closer than three miles from North Vietnam. No firefights, no missile attacks, but a part of the war effort just the same. There are no old photographs or artifacts of Shaw’s time in the Navy. He’s said before his story wasn’t a big deal compared to those who were on the ground. Though he’s almost always jovial (he and his wife Cheri are great family friends), there’s more under the surface. His stories are enlightening and give a glimpse into a part of the war many either may not think about, or took for granted.
These days...
After his three-year stint in the Navy in which he “had a lot more fun than some of the guys”, leaving as an E-3. For the most part he enjoyed his time in the Navy; it gave him structure and purpose, he visited places he may not have had the opportunity to otherwise, such as Hong Kong, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore, just to name a few. He and his wife of 39-years, Cheri, went to Vietnam and visited the “Hanoi Hilton”, the infamous prison camp where the North Vietnamese held American POWs. He remembers being “pissed” because of the propaganda the North Vietnamese government displays and teaches visitors and the people of North Vietnam about the wonderful treatment of the POWs.
Shaw eventually became a beer distributor, married Cheri and they have a son, Ryan. They now enjoy time at their place on Secord Lake near Gladwin, Michigan and as snowbirds in Florida. Motorcycles and, surprise, surprise, boating are hobbies Shaw enjoys, as well as happy hour with good drinks and good friends.