Schofield officer had 'zest for life'

He was the fifth from the base to die in Iraq this year, and first in his ROTC program

Army Capt. Shane T. Adcock, who was killed Wednesday in Iraq when a grenade blew up near his Humvee during a convoy operation in Hawijah, had served as an artillery officer in Afghanistan in 2004.

Adcock, 27, of Mechanicsville, Va., was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, at Schofield Barracks. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan.

Adcock is the fifth Schofield Barracks soldier to die in Iraq this year, and the fourth who was a member of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which started its year-long combat tour in Iraq last month.

He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, a student at Duke University whom he married in June, and his parents.

Adcock graduated from Longwood University in 2003 and was the first graduate of the school's ROTC program to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. He arrived at Schofield Barracks in February 2004.

Jennifer Adcock told the Virginia Richmond Times-Dispatch yesterday, "God, there was so much that I loved about him. His sincerity, his loyalty, his charisma and his love for life. It was contagious."

Both she and her in-laws -- Maris and Vera Adcock -- were notified of Adcock's death on Wednesday.

"You cry a lot, you pray a lot and you depend on the grace of God to get you through this," Vera Adcock told the Virginia newspaper.

In a written statement, Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs at Longwood, said, "I had the good fortune to know Shane quite well. Shane had a real zest for life, and we are all very saddened by this tragic news. On behalf of all of us at Longwood, I want to extend our prayers to his family and friends. He will be missed."

A Boy Scout, Adcock attended the National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in 1993 and 1997.