Neale Moran Shank

West Point, 2005

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Joshua Connor on April 9, 2007:

Neale Shank was not only an incredible person but a loyal friend who had an intense desire to serve his country. I first met Neale when we both had finished our plebe year at West Point and were assigned to Company F-3. Immediately, I could tell that there was something special about Neale and our personalities just sort of clicked. There is no better way to describe Neale than saying well - Neale was Neale. Those who know Neale well will understand exactly what I mean. Whether it was his flashy smile or ability to lighten the mood with an off the wall joke, Neale was one of a kind. While I had my doubts about what branch to pick at West Point, there was no doubt in Neale's mind. He was Infantry all the way. From his years of prior service, Neale never had a doubt about where he belonged. He was gruff, tuff, and intensely focused on sharpening his leadership skills. Infantry was where his heart belonged and attaining a Ranger tab was always on his mind. I still remember Neale trying to convince me to go Infantry by buying me the book "Ranger School: No Excuse Leadership" and placing it discreetly in my desk in our room. While I never quite had the guts to go Infantry, Neale's leadership style was just that "No Excuse Leadership." He always did what he felt was right and he never made excuses if something didn't work out quite how he had planned. There was never a grey area with Neale; things were always black and white. For those who needed advice, there was never anyone better to talk with than Neale. The reason for this is that Neale could always be counted on to give the absolute truth, whether you wanted to hear that or not. There was no sugarcoating things with Neale. He was dead honest and that is the way he approached living his life. As roommates, Neale and I were a dynamic duo. We pushed one another hard in academics, as we were both in the same major. I don't think there was any other room in the Corps that stayed up as late and pulled so many all nighters as Barracks Room 132, MacArthur Long. It didn't help that Neale and I had the only room in the Corps that was wired for cable television :) . Numerous times, I remember hitting the rack around 4:30 a.m. dead tired from us studying and hearing Neale telling me he was going to stay up a little longer to shine his shoes and his brass. Of course, Neale had his signature Rockstar energy drink in hand and his techno music playing on his computer. Somehow Neale always found the energy to keep going and to make sure his uniform and shoes were the best in the Corps. Without a doubt, I have never seen a cadet with better shoes and brass than Neale Shank. I still remember me constantly getting in trouble for having poorly shined shoes at West Point, and Neale taking the time without telling me to shine all of my shoes and boots in the room with his signature method to keep the heat off of me. He even gave me his best pair of shined shoes for my Birthday cow year even though I know it killed him. Needless to say, I never had a problem with inspections there after. Whether it was hours on the area or girl problems, nothing ever broke the will of Neale Shank. He was steady and solid and more persistent than any of the problems we ever ran into as roommates or young officers. There was absolutely zero quit in Neale, no matter how tuff a situation became. When I measure my friends today, there is only one standard by which I judge them. That is the Neale Shank standard. Neale's loyalty and devotion as a friend over the last 4 and a half years are unparalleled. For that reason I'll sorely miss Neale, but I know his legacy will live on through the younger cadets and soldiers in the Army he was able to have an impact on and mentor. And with that, I'll leave it at Neale Shank was Neale Shank and I just happened to have the privilege of being his best friend. -Josh Connor

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