Friends remember Marine killed in Black Hawk crash

A New Jersey native was one of the Marines killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in to the waters off Florida earlier this week.  Capt. Stanford Henry Shaw III,31, of Basking Ridge, was a special

News 12 Staff

Mar 14, 2015, 6:31 AM

Updated 3,496 days ago

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A New Jersey native was one of the Marines killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in to the waters off Florida earlier this week. 
Capt. Stanford Henry Shaw III,31, of Basking Ridge, was a special operations Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Six other Marines were killed in the crash, along with four National Guard soldiers from Louisiana.
Years before becoming a Marine captain, Shaw was a lacrosse team captain at Ridge High School. His former coach and teammates were shocked to hear the news of his death.
"His dream was to serve his country and to be a Marine and to be a serviceman for life," says former coach Ken Marsh. 
Former teammate and current lacrosse coach Mike Mack always knew Shaw was destined for greatness.
"When I heard he was going into the Naval Academy, it was no surprise," says Mack. "He wanted the best for himself and for those around him."
During his career, Shaw served two tours of duty in Iran. He earned several awards, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
The other Marines who died have been identified as Master Sgt. Thomas Saunders of Williamsburg, Virginia; Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn of Queens, New York; Staff Sgt. Trevor P. Blaylock of Lake Orion, Michigan; Staff Sgt. Kerry Michael Kemp of Port Washington, Wisconsin; Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif of Holland, Michigan; and Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol from Warren, Michigan.
All of the Marines were from the 2nd Special Operations Battalion of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command.
There is no word yet on funeral arrangement for Capt. Shaw.