I met my husband on a beautiful evening while I was vacationing in Hawaii, he was on the opposite side of the road but he crossed over to meet me after he said I just happen to catch his eye, we talked had a few drinks at a bar with his friends and mine and exchanged numbers and went on our way.

Within 30 minutes of saying goodbye he called me at my hotel and asked if he could take me out for a drink the next day. I was reluctant but agreed he told me to get dressed up for the occasion. When he picked me up the next evening we drive for a while then pulled into a McDonald s he asked me did I want a chocolate, strawberry or vanilla shake then took me to watch the sunset on the North Shore of the Hawaii beach. That was the moment I knew I would love this man forever and 12 years later I still do, more than ever.

We now have 5 children, Wentz IV (Scott) from my husbands first marriage, Jesse, Audrey, Jack and Grace. My husband wanted children very badly but after I had Jesse we suffered through many miscarriages sometimes we felt very selfish for wanting to continue to try but Baron (my husbands nickname) would keep telling me not to give up. 8 long years later we were finally successful after receiving medical intervention to help us stay pregnant and Audrey was born, Baron was so excited when he found out she was a girl. He always told me he wanted her to be just like his Grandmother who he loved so much because he thought she was the perfect lady so we even named her after his Grandmother.

I will never forget his face the first time he saw his daughter, he had so much love in his beautiful blue eye s for his little girl. Very soon after Audrey s birth I found out I was pregnant again but we were very cautious because I had not been taking any medication to help with the pregnancy. We soon found out it was twins and neither of us could talk about it for months we were in shock. He kept telling me there is a reason this happened to us, we just don t know what it is yet.

When the twins were born 10 weeks early my husband became a man I was even prouder of, all of his help and support was just amazing and it never stopped. Baron was so devoted to his children it surprised me. He would get up on the weekends and make them Mickey Mouse pancakes, he would paint his girls finger nails and dig big holes in the back yard for his sons to play car s in, he would dance around the house with them all and watch any movie they wanted to. For a big bad military guy he was a huge softy when it came to his kids. I know now why we were able to go on and have our wonderful children, because each one of them has something special about them that reminds me very much of their Daddy and it gives me great joy to be around them and see the extension of his life through them.

My husbands career in the military was not a job to him it was a passion! He loved the Army and he loved what he did everyday. Soldiers were so important to him and he always put there best interest first. Many times our plans would change because of something that needed to be done for work or a soldier but we didn't mind because it was who he was.

I never really appreciated what my husband sacrificed in his life until now when I read the letters and notes from people who knew him through the military and tell me what a great soldier he was and how he made some sort of difference in their life. After Barons death he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other just as important awards for his actions on the day of his death and for his service to the military and his country.

A new Military Police Complex for the 16th MP Brigade is being built at Ft Bragg North Carolina and will be named in my husband's honor because of his services and because of his dedication to his passion which makes us very, very proud but most of all we are proud of him as a man, my husband and our children's Daddy, he will always be our hero and never forgotten.
Corey Shanaberger
Forever Proud Wife of
SFC Wentz J. H. Shanaberger III