TULLY'S CORNER: Introducing "SHINN" Veteran of Foreign War Hero (Part Two)

And so finally, in walked Shinn, looking especially handsome in his cowboy hat, brown jacket and denim attire. He joined me at a table inside near the window. I introduced him to my handsome prince and photographer, Mario Zamora, who got permission to take some pictures during our conversation and interview.

As I mentioned in of this two-part series, Shinn is soft spoken and kind. It proved difficult to hear him over the coffee machines and Saturday morning crowds, so I had to sit very near to him, you see, lean in close, listen extra well, read lips sometimes. It may have appeared I was just trying to get a closer look into those captivating eyes of his, but I assure you, it was completely legitimate and necessary - all so I could introduce him to you accurately:

He was born in Oklahoma and moved to California as a child when his family was forced, economically, to sell their property and livestock. They joined relatives in the southern part of the state and he attended high school in Bell, California

His full name is Jennings Hazen Shinn Jr. He is named after his father, who died one week before he was born due to a blood clot in his leg. “Shinn” became his nickname in middle school, when last names were printed on the student’s gym shorts. He’s been called “Shinn” by friends and family ever since. It is the only name you see on his C&S Window Washing business card, which I will mention again later. And the only name he uses when being introduced.

When I asked him about his parents, he shared that his mother was the best of the best.

“I know a lot of people think that their mom is the best, but my mom actually wins that contest,” he said, smiling.

He also described her as, “very tolerant and very kind unless you got on her bad side. You had to work at getting on her bad side, but when you did, that was it.”

His mother remarried, and Shinn was raised also by his step-father, who he considers and refers to as his dad. Duane Campbell was in the Army, he told me, and “escorted the then-General Dwight Eisenhower in Paris, France. He was also awarded the Legion of Honor by French President Charles De Gaulle.”

My favorite father/son story is the one Shinn shared about his dad and the poppies:

“I was about eight years old,” he told me, “and I watched my dad give this man five dollars for a poppy. Five dollars was a lot of money back then. ‘Why are you giving that man so much money?’ I asked him, and he told me, ‘because he’s a veteran.’ I said to him, ‘You’re a veteran. Why doesn’t he give you five dollars?’ And my dad told me, ‘those who can work should always help those who can’t.’ And that has stuck with me all these years.”

He recalled also how his dad never talked much about World War II itself, but spoke with great affection about the beautiful women, cute children, and the magic of Paris, which he called the city of lights and love.

Shinn is one of four children. He has already said goodbye to his one and only sister who was 6 years older. She was shot and killed in 1979 by a boyfriend in Houston, Texas. The boyfriend was never convicted, but “he went missing,” Shinn explained.

And then he eluded to the idea justice may have been served in some vigilante style way, because “this was Texas, after all...in the 70s.”

He has two brothers, one four years older, living in Missouri, and one two years younger, living in San Bernadino County.

Shinn married at age 18, “the neighborhood girl.” Linda Gibson was 16 at the time and encouraged by her mother to marry Shinn before he went overseas.

They had two children, one boy and one girl. His grown son, Ron Shinn, is married with three children and lives in Sacramento. His grown daughter, Karen Richards, is married, also has three children and lives in Pleasant Hill. Shinn and Linda were married for 10 years, separated for four and ultimately divorced.

Shinn did follow somewhat in his father’s military footsteps by joining the Marines in 1964.

“After Kennedy was killed,” he explained, “a bunch of us just joined up.” 

He became a sergeant in under four years.

It was during a tour near DaNang, Vietnam, in 1965, that he was surprise-attacked and hit with a hand grenade. His platoon, Point for “E” Company 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, was in the process of carrying out an operation that required them to move from the north valley to the south end of a village, but before they had a chance to get into position, “I caught two men hiding. We were walking into ambush, I assaulted their position.”

One threw the grenade that claimed Shinn’s left leg.

“This set off the battle early before we were in place for attack,” he said, “And then all hell broke loose.”

He went on to explain how he was cut off from his platoon.

“The sergeant was the first one to get to me. And Jack Bradley, my best friend, next to my riffle - he was hit too. The grenade went through me and hit him too.”

The helicopter was under fire when it came in to air-lift Shinn out.

“Jack wouldn’t go,” Shinn told me.

He stayed behind despite his injuries and vowed to “get those son of a b**ches for you Shinn.”

Shinn was transported safely to DaNang Air Base, then spent one month in the Philippines before arriving at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. His left leg was amputated from the knee down, and his right leg had been hit with four pieces of shrapnel.

“The nurse handed them to me in a plastic bag, and told me I had a souvenir for my grandchildren,” he said shaking his head in a type of disbelief. “I just threw it away.”

Shinn learned only a few years ago about a controversy surrounding Jack Bradley. Doug Jones, a Pleasanton Police Officer and friend of Shinn’s did a little research on the Internet and learned Jack Bradley had become a U.S. Marshal, and his wife was pursuing a Purple Heart he had never received.

 “If I had known that was going on,” Shinn told me, “I would have flown myself to Washington D.C. right then and made sure Jack got a Bronze Star for what he did.”

Jack has since died, and I could see in Shinn’s expression and hear in his tone, that this left a wound of a different kind on his heart. But the friendship, respect and admiration remained dominant.

When it came to talks about medals and awards, Shinn said to me, with great humility, his only real interest was in receiving the good conduct medal. But you can see from his military papers and the pictures included here, he is the recipient of far more than that.

Shinn has been awarded not only a Good Conduct Medal, but an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, two Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Ribbons, a National Defense Service Medal, a Purple Heart, and I learned from Dave Ham that he’s been recommended for a Silver Star, which Judge Walker and Congressman Jerry McNerney confirmed with Shinn.

 It was a huge treat to be invited and join him and his fellow VFW friends at the Veteran’s Hall on Main Street.

Every Saturday morning, they have a coffee and donuts social for members.

“There’s a business meeting one Thursday a month too,” Shinn said, “but Dave Ham and the people here on Saturday mornings get way more accomplished. This is when the real work gets done.”

This sentiment was echoed by everyone there.

 I am very proud to report that our Pleasanton VFW Post 6298 has been awarded the National Outstanding Community Service Award, not once, not twice, but an “unheard of” three times, for being one of the most active VFW posts in the United States.

There is no counting how many fundraisers, school programs, community services and volunteer activities they coordinate and contribute to each year. One of the most publically recognized is the annual and always outstanding Veteran’s Day Parade in downtown Pleasanton.

And seems worth mentioning here, that Dave Ham, who has been coordinating the Veteran’s Day Parade for 15-plus years now, and who I happen to sit next to during my visit, nominated me, during my visit, as the Official 2012 Veteran’s Day Parade Photographer.

Having been the self-appointed and very unofficial photographer in 2011 (I took more than 100 pictures just for fun), this pleased me to no end. I accepted immediately of course and look forward to seeing you there.

I liked learning also, from Shinn, that while this coffee and donut social hour at the Veteran’s Hall does offer veterans a safe place to discuss war tragedies and the rare opportunity to feel understood, most of the time, these conversations don’t take place.

“We’ve all been in combat. We’ve lived it. We know. We don’t necessarily need to talk about it.” Shinn explained.

And that makes perfect sense to me. There is a shared silent knowing that bonds these veterans. They seem much more interested in contributing and serving today than revisiting their past.

Shinn has one grandson, Steve Lull, that has served two tours in Iraq and is currently back safe and sound on United States soil.

“I didn’t catch him in time,” Shinn said, “but I would have discouraged it. This war is like another Vietnam. If you really want to help people, you should become a police officer,” he said.

That advice was not lost on Chris Thompson. Chris is the son of Shinn’s former girlfriend, who considered at one time joining the military but is today a police officer here in Livermore.

“I can’t take credit for what he accomplished in the academy or anything like that, but I did tell him that was the best way to help people.”

Chris, in fact, inspired the “C” on Shinn’s C&S business card. He named the business after his former girlfriend's two children, Chris and Shauna. While family conflicts prevented their relationship from succeeding, Shinn still feels great affection for Chris and Shauna.

C&S Window Washing was Shinn’s primary business for some twenty years. No doubt you’ve spotted him, like I did, in his baseball cap and jeans, washing windows here or there up and down Main Street and all around Pleasanton.

And in that 20 years, he has only taken one true, one-week vacation, which he spent in Yosemite.

I am happy to share in closing then that our favorite veteran of foreign war hero and Tri-Valley window washer officially retired the day before we finally, and at last, sat down together at Tully’s.

The very last windows he washed was as Café Ali — one of his favorite clients.

He has plans now to hop in an RV and travel throughout California and Nevada. I feel very lucky, very blessed, that I had a chance to meet him and introduce him to you before he finally takes off to relax a little, explore and sightsee within the United States he proudly served.