A. Jackson Shell served in the U.S. Army as a Captain on the U.S.S. Saint Lo (CVE-63), 465th Field Artillery Battalion during World War II. He was killed in action as a result of a Kamikaze attack that sank the U.S.S. Saint Lo off Samar Island, Philippine Islands, on October 25, 1944. His body was recovered by the U.S.S. Heermann and was subsequently buried at sea. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
