Marine shot five times during combat, returns home to Washburn briefly from Afghanistan
WASHBURN, Maine — An Aroostook County community had the opportunity to welcome home a special hero, Shayne M. Hathaway, a Washburn resident serving in the Marines in Afghanistan. Main Street in Washburn was lined with American flags as the escort rolled into town on Saturday, Sept. 11, as residents gathered along the route with signs and children waved flags.
On Aug. 22, Shayne was part of a 10-man patrol in Afghanistan. It was on the holiday, Ramadan, and the 22-year-old Marine was on his second tour in the war-torn area. Shots were fired at the patrol and Shayne was hit five times with small arms fire, receiving wounds to the lower right side of his body.
He was evacuated from the area and received treatment in hospitals in Afghanistan, Germany and finally at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Twenty-eight days after he was wounded, many gathered to welcome him home, starting with the special Patriot Guard Freedom Riders motorcycle escort which picked him up in Houlton, with police in many of the local areas escorting him through their communities, along with escorts from the Maine State Police and the Sheriff’s Department, the Washburn Police and Fire departments. Members of Boy Scout Troop 177 had raised the flags along Main Street as part of the welcome, and several area homes were decorated with signs and balloons.
Shayne’s family, Fred and Beverly Thomas, traveled to Bethesda to be with him during his stay, and brought him home on Saturday, Sept. 11, to a very proud and thankful family and community. He will be home for a brief visiting, before returning to duty.
