WKU News

Members of the campus community gathered Monday morning for a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at the Guthrie Bell Tower as Western Kentucky University honored the heroes who answered the call to defend freedom.

“We pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served or are currently serving our nation in the United States Armed Forces. Those who have sacrificed so much and those who continue to sacrifice for all of us and for our country,” WKU President Timothy C. Caboni said.

“This day provides us with an important opportunity to reflect on the costs and the blessings of liberty. To remember that in the face of difficulty; in the face of danger; and in the face of sometimes the unknown, our servicemen and women stand firm to protect our freedom,” he said. “They stand tall to preserve our freedom. They stand for freedom. They put everything on the line and sometimes pay the ultimate price.”

President Caboni recognized WKU ROTC cadets for their service and thanked the families and friends of veterans and current military members for the support they have provided and sacrifices they have made.

WKU’s Veterans Day observance continued with the ROTC Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Diddle Arena’s Stansbury Concourse. The 2024 Hall of Fame inductees are COL Taylor Chasteen, a 1981 WKU graduate, and the late CPT Ralph Shrewsbury, a 1942 WKU graduate.

• More: Photos from WKU Veterans Day ceremony

For information, contact WKU ROTC, (270) 745-4293.

Hall of Fame Inductees

Here is information from WKU ROTC on this year's Hall of Fame inductees:

Colonel, US Army
Gregory “Taylor” Chasteen
WKU Class of 1981

Graduated from WKU as a Distinguished Military Graduate commissioned 17 December 1981 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Field Artillery.

Following assignments in South Carolina and Baumholder, Germany, he joined the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) “Screaming Eagles” Division, first as S-4, then as Commander of C/426th S&T Battalion, in July of 1989. Deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Desert Shield in August of 1990 supporting the 187th Infantry Regiment “Rakkasans.” During the initial land assault of Desert Storm, C/426th participated in the largest Air Assault Operation in history.

In 1991, he was assigned to the newly formed Army Acquisition Corps and was part of the Army Research and Development Center at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, as part of the Tank Main Armaments Project Management Office – M829E3 Depleted Uranium Product Development team.

Served as the Product Manager of the Standard Army Retail Supply System (SARSS), then further assigned as the Product Manager for all the retail supply and maintenance systems for the Army worldwide. Led the development and deployment of the Army’s first ever internet/cloud-based enterprise capability to replace the Army’s Standard Property Book System.

Completed Army Senior Service College with a master’s degree in National Resource Strategy.

Assigned to the Republic of Korea as the Director of Defense Cooperation in Armaments; a member of the US Embassy Country team.

Following service in Korea, he assumed control of Army Knowledge Online or AKO, the largest organizational intranet in the world, serving the Army on a global basis. This led to a follow-on assignment as a special advisor on automation to the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army.

Following military retirement, COL Chasteen served the government with the Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems, and US Department of Agriculture as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES).

He co-founded and is the President of the consulting services firm Pembroke Partners.

His awards, decorations, and skill badges include: The Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2d Award), Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4th Award), Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal (2nd Award), Southwest Asia Service Medal w/Bronze Service Star (2d Award), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge

Captain Ralph D. Shrewsbury Jr.
1919-1998
WKU ROTC Class of 1942

Ralph Damon Shrewsbury Jr. was born and raised in Caneyville, Kentucky. He attended WKU from 1938 to 1942, majoring in Agriculture and serving as Sergeant of the Color Guard, member of the Pershing Rifles and ROTC Cadet Captain his senior year.

Upon graduation in 1942, Shrewsbury was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant. Assigned as the Executive Officer of Company C, 315th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Infantry Division, First Lieutenant Shrewsbury entered combat on June 19,1944 during the breakout from the Normandy beachhead. Leading a platoon during an assault at La Haye du Puits on July 4, 1944, Shrewsbury and his men were caught in a vicious enemy counterattack and cut off by Tiger tanks. Wounded in the leg, he ordered his men to wait until nightfall and infiltrate back to friendly lines. At dusk, they were attacked again. Lacking grenades or anti-tank weapons, he reluctantly surrendered his surviving Soldiers to the enemy.

Shrewsbury and other wounded survivors of the platoon were treated by the Germans at the Rennes Military Hospital and Stalag 221. He “didn’t like the idea of being a P.O.W. [Prisoner of War],” so on the night of August 5th, he successfully escaped from a moving prisoner of war train heading to Germany with several other prisoners. For 16 days he evaded the Germans and was hidden by a French farmer until the sound of advancing US artillery could be heard. He then evaded alone back to friendly lines. The first US Army unit he encountered was the 329th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division, commanded by Colonel Edwin G. “Buckshot” Crabill, his former Professor of Military Science at Western Kentucky.

Shrewsbury returned to the 315th Infantry Regiment, and by January 1945 had been promoted to Captain. He commanded Company G in fierce winter combat during the defense of Hatten, France, a pivotal battle along the Seventh Army front that blunted the German “Nordwind” offensive. For his actions on January 12, 1945, he received the Silver Star for rushing forward across open, snow-swept terrain under enemy fire, organizing his men, and calling for artillery support. His actions resulted in the halting of a key enemy attack – pivotal to halting the enemy offensive along the entire front.

Captain Shrewsbury’s awards include the Silver Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Prisoner of War Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four campaign stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Ralph Shrewsbury left the US Army following his service in World War II and continued his education at the University of Kentucky and Southern College of Optometry. He served the Beaver Dam community in Ohio County as an optometrist for many decades. Dr. Shrewsbury is still remembered today by this community as a man of great humility and charity. He passed away in 1998 and is buried in the Sunnyside Cemetery in Beaver Dam.

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.