Shane Duffy was remembered by the mayor of Taunton, Charles Crowley, as "a true hero, who came from a place with a strong tradition of service in the military." Duffy had visited his hometown only weeks before he died and watched his sister make the winning hit in a high school softball game. Duffy was honored before the game for his service to the country, and then he saw game with his daughter sitting on his lap. Duffy died June 4, 2008, of wounds he suffered in Sharqat, Iraq, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces.