ROTC Cadets on Col. Shah’s Heroism

Army cadets recall how fallen officer defended them in Old Dominion shooting

Eight Army ROTC students credited their quick reactions to Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, their instructor. Shah was killed in the attack.
Matt White

The Army ROTC cadets who fought back against a classroom gunman at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, say they owe their lives to the mentorship and training they received from Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, the senior instructor killed in the attack

Eight cadets spoke for the first time about the attack in a 17-minute video released by the Army last week, the first public comments the cadets have made since the shooting. The students described the suddenness of the attack in their Military Science classroom, the deadly fight with the shooter, and how Shah’s leadership and example carried the day.

“The only reason we were able to do what we did in the end was because of him,” said Samuel Reineberg, a cadet who tended to Shah’s wounds after the fight, falling back on first aid skills he’d learned from Shah during combat casualty care training.

The cadets described how a typical day in a classroom suddenly morphed into a scene of violence and valor. One cadet who charged the shooter was shot in the chest by a small-caliber pistol, but continued fighting as his classmates piled on behind me.

But the students say it was Shah who led the way.

“Col. Shah used the last of his strength to tackle that guy and gave us just enough time that we needed,” recalled Louis Ancheta, the cadet who was shot.

‘If he’s going, I gotta back him’

Cadet Wesley Meyers said he was presenting a research project when Mohamed Bailor Jalloh entered the room and opened fire. Jalloh was a former Virginia National Guard soldier who had become a follower of the late radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. He served 8 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to “attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq” in 2016.

Meyers said Jalloh yelled “Allahu Akbar” and began firing what Ancheta said was a .22 caliber Glock 44.

Shah lunged at the Jalloh, said Ancheta, who, unlike most ROTC cadets, had attended enlisted basic training as a soldier in the Army Reserve. Under his desk, Ancheta said he reached for his pocket knife.

Task&Purpose
No greater love. Fair winds and following seas, Col. Shah.

Category: Army, Bravo Zulu, Fair Winds and Following Seas