Iraq war widow left speechless at Trump cabinet's actions after she made humble plea for someone to visit husband's grave on Memorial Day

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Published: 14:12, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 14:28, 26 May 2026 An Iraq war widow was left speechless after members of the Trump cabinet visited the grave of her late husband after she made a humble plea on social media.  Sharrell Shaw made a post to her X page asking for anyone at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Memorial Day to visit the grave of her husband Staff Sergeant Alan Wayne Shaw, 31, who was killed in action in February of 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq.  Sharrell, a mom-of-three who lives in Arkansas, said she wanted to see a fresh photo of his grave and shared the location of where he was laid to rest.  Her post went viral and she was inundated with images and videos of people visiting his grave, which included outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who both served in Iraq. Hegseth was pictured saluting Alan's grave, while Gabbard left her own challenge coin on top of his gravestone as a mark of respect.  Responding to the outpouring of support, Sharrell said she was 'caught off guard' by the events of Monday.  'I don’t think people fully understand what moments like this mean to Gold Star families. The fear is never just losing them,' she said. 'It’s losing them slowly over time as the world moves on and fewer people remember their name. But today showed me that Alan will never be forgotten.' Shaw was killed on February 9, 2007 while taking part in a mission to search buildings believed to contain weapons  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth saluted Shaw's gravestone on Monday  Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard left a challenge coin on top of his gravestone as a mark of respect She continued: 'Thank you to every single person who stopped by to visit Alan today, said his name, shared his story, or took a moment to honor the fallen.  'This right here is the America Alan knew and loved enough to fight and die for. And today, y’all showed us all that it’s still here and it’s still worth fighting for.' Gabbard reached out to Sharrell publicly, saying: 'It was an honor to visit your husband’s grave today on your behalf, and to pay my respects. 'It was wonderful to see the beautiful flowers representing many others who did the same.  'Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the loved ones they left behind. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.' Sharrell previously told the Daily Mail how she met Alan shortly after he left the Marine Corps following the September 11 attacks.  The two first crossed paths at a local softball game where he was playing, and over the next several years, they dated and married as he adjusted to civilian life. Around 2003, everything changed while Alan was watching a news report about his former Marine unit deploying to Iraq and safely returning home. Sharrell Shaw is pictured here with her three children and her late husband, she asked for those inside Arlington National Cemetery to visit her late husband's grave on Monday Sharrell was handed an American flag at the funeral of her husband inside Arlington National Cemetery   Sharrell said her husband felt a renewed sense of duty after seeing his former teammates serve without him, which weighed heavily on him. He soon decided to return to the military despite some initial resistance from those close to him. He ultimately reenlisted, this time joining the Army as a corporal, transitioning from his Marine Corps role as an infantryman into the Army's equivalent position. During his first deployment, Alan served as a noncommissioned officer at the brigade interrogation facility in Baghdad. After returning home and spending a little more than a year stateside, he was deployed again in 2006. On February 9, 2007, during his second deployment, Alan was killed while taking part in a mission to search buildings believed to contain weapons. According to Sharrell, an anti-tank mine detonated as his team moved into position, killing him along with two other soldiers, Eric Ross, 26, and Leroy Camacho, 27. Investigations conducted at the time, along with accounts from fellow service members who were present, later indicated that the attack was part of a coordinated insurgent effort during a particularly volatile period of the war. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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