Shawn Murphy laid to rest

BUTTE — A lone bugler played "Taps" as Army Pfc. Shawn Murphy was laid to rest Friday in the city he always called home. About 150 people gathered at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to remember the 24-year-old soldier who was killed in Iraq Dec. 10.

During the service Shawn's father, Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Murphy, described his son as "larger than life." He said his son was an often precocious and mischievous young man and a fiercely competitive and determined person.

Despite the urging of his family, Mark said his son wanted to join the Army before going to college.

"His country needed him now, and he wanted to be closest to the fight,'' his father said. Shawn Murphy was one of three soldiers who died when the Humvee in which they were riding was destroyed by a roadside bomb just east of Baghdad. The former Butte resident was serving with the Army's 509th Parachute Infantry.

Butte resident Terry Schultz compared his nephew's life to a meteor shower in Big Sky Country.

"His life was bright, short and it lit up our sky," Schultz told the congregation.

After the church service, Shawn's remains were taken to Mountain View Cemetery for a military-style burial.

A military color guard from Helena performed a 21-gun salute.

From the Tribune

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