Army - Campobello, SC - December 9, 2004

Andrew Carl Shields was born in 1979 in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, to Donald and Emily Burnett Shields of Campobello. He grew up in Campobello and was a devoted Christian, attending New Prospect Baptist Church. Shields graduated from Wofford College with a degree in chemistry and shared a close bond with his twin brother, Philip, who also pursued aviation in the South Carolina National Guard. 

Shields served as a platoon leader in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment of the South Carolina Army National Guard, based in Columbia, South Carolina. He was a skilled pilot and a member of the Civil Air Patrol and the Army Warfighting Team (AWT), demonstrating both leadership and dedication to service. 

On December 9, 2004, 1st Lt. Shields was killed in an Apache helicopter accident in Mosul, Iraq, alongside fellow Guard pilot Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Leach. He was 25 years old at the time of his death. His passing was widely mourned, and he was remembered as a hero who gave his life in service to his country.