A Gold Star mother makes a request; guess who responded, and (this part's easy) who didn't?

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if only there were time ….

Tulsi Gabbard and Others Go Above and Beyond for a Gold Star Widow

On the night before Memorial Day, Sharrell Shaw posted a special request on social media. "This is probably a long shot, but if anybody happens to be in D.C. this weekend and plans on visiting Arlington, I would love to see a fresh photo of my husband’s grave in Section 60," she said. "There’s just something about knowing people still stop by, still say his name, still remember."  

The Gold Star widow's husband was Staff Sergeant Alan W. Shaw. He was killed in action in Iraq on February 9, 2007. Alan was only 31, and while he's from Little Rock, Ark., he's buried Arlington in Section 60, Grave 8451 at Arlington. 

Sharrell, who goes by @SharrellAnne2 on X, didn't have high expectations, so I imagine she was mighty surprised on Monday when dozens of patriotic Americans visited her husband's grave to pay their respects and take a photo for her, including members of the Donald Trump administration. 

One of the first was outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. A veteran herself, Gabbard posted a response to Sharrell, which included a picture of her placing a challenge coin on Alana's headstone. 

"It was an honor to visit your husband’s grave today on your behalf, and to pay my respects," she said. "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."  

…. Later, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his wife and children also stopped by to pay their respects. 

And many, many more, from prominent politicians and “ordinary” citizens, like these:

Sharrell responded with the following message: 

Last night, I made a simple request on X. I asked if anybody visiting Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day would stop by Alan’s grave and leave a photo for our family.

What happened next honestly caught me off guard.

By this afternoon, dozens of Americans from all walks of life had made the walk to Section 60 to visit SSG Alan W. Shaw. Veterans. Families. Complete strangers. People who had never met Alan, but chose to honor him anyway.

For one day on social media, people put aside the constant noise and negativity and came together for something bigger than themselves. My notifications filled with photos, kind messages, prayers, and stories from people honoring not just Alan, but so many of our fallen heroes.

I don’t think people fully understand what moments like this mean to Gold Star families. The fear is never just losing them. 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.

After years of watching social media reward some of the worst parts of humanity, today gave me a reminder that the good is still out there too.

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. 

Just to be thorough, and fair, I inquired of ChatGPD:

Q: The day before Memorial Day this year — 2026 — a Gold Star widow posted a request on her social media page asking any readers who happened to be at Arlington Cemetery on the 25th to place flowers on her husband's grave. Quite a number of people responded, but I haven't seen any report of a Democrat visiting the grave. Were they any? Did any post about it?

A: I could not find any verified public reports, posts, or news coverage showing prominent Democratic elected officials visiting Staff Sgt. Alan W. Shaw’s grave in response to Sharrell Anne Shaw’s Memorial Day request this year.

What is publicly documented is that a number of people — including Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — visited the grave and posted about it on social media.

Sharrell Shaw’s original request on X reportedly received millions of views, and many private citizens, veterans, and military families responded by placing flowers and sharing photos.

I also searched for public posts or reporting involving Democratic members of Congress, Democratic administration officials, or well-known Democratic public figures tied specifically to Shaw’s request, and I did not find any. That does not necessarily mean none visited privately — only that there does not appear to be publicly documented evidence of it at this point.

The Democrats were, however, shamed by enough of the public to remove their first try at pretending to remember the dead on Memorial Day and replace it with an equally-obnoxious, equally-partisan one:

Oops! Didn’t like this one? Let’s try again'; don’t to forget to vote for our candidates this fall!