Shawn Falter remembered

HOMER, N.Y. (AP) _ Shawn Falter wasn't the star football player or the boisterous center of attention when he was in high school, but people in this upstate New York village will forever remember him.

Falter, a 25-year-old Army private, was killed along with four fellow soldiers Saturday when insurgents attacked a building in Karbala, Iraq, as officials met to plan security for Shiite pilgrims.

"He knew how to lighten a moment just when you needed it. He was an easygoing kid," said Homer High School Principal Fred Farah.

The high school, located 25 miles south of Syracuse in Cortland County, held a moment of silence in Falter's memory on Monday. He graduated from the school in 1999.

Farah said Falter was quiet but hardworking. He had a subtle sense of humor and would rather make a funny gesture or expression than crack a loud joke, he said.

"Shawn was a great kid," said Lawrence King, director of instruction and evaluation in the Homer Central School District. "He was the kind of kid that was able to sort of float between different groups ... he was accepted by each one, the kind of kid that you would like to have as a friend. If you needed something, Shawn was always there."

Falter's two older brothers joined the military, and he wanted to follow in their footsteps, King said. "That was another thing about Shawn, once he locked onto something, he was pretty determined to accomplish his goal."

Falter, who was single and had no children, enlisted in August 2005. He was deployed from Fort Richardson, Alaska. His family declined interviews, said Sgt. Raymond Swift, the family's casualty assistance officer.

From Newsday

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