Bay Area fallen hero's legacy lives on in his hometown
The Brief
Spc. Zachary L. Shannon was killed in March 2013, along with four other service members, in a helicopter crash during Operation Enduring Freedom.
His hometown of Dunedin is honoring his legacy, making sure his sacrifice is not forgotten.
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Kimberly Allison raised four brave boys. Each one proudly served their country in the military – but her youngest, Spc. Zachary L. Shannon, never made it home.
What they're saying
"We have a military wall. So I see his face every day. I live it every minute of every day," said Zachary's mom, Kimberly.
She also keeps him close to her heart.
"I wear his dog tag, I have his bracelets on, I have the necklace he gave me that says army mom. I talk to him all the time and I know I'll see him again," said Kimberly.
Zachary wasn't home long after a 12-month deployment in Korea, when he volunteered to go to Afghanistan.
"He said, 'I want to go because then a soldier with a family gets to go home,' So he was home for 3 months. Then he deployed on December 14, 2012, in Afghanistan," said Kimberly.
Three months later, on March 11, 2013, Zachary's helicopter crashed, killing him and four other service members in Operation Enduring Freedom.
"I think if I knew he was scared it would have hurt even worse. He was not scared; it was where he wanted to be," said Kimberly. "He knew he had a job to do and he'd be home as soon as he's done."
His hometown of Dunedin, where he chose to be laid to rest. It's where he played little league baseball, on a field now named after him. A portion of Alternate 19 also bears his name. So does the local VFW, now known as "SPC Zachary Shannon Memorial Post 2550."
"A lot of people don't know who Zack is and what he stands for: freedom and free," said Kelly McKinley, VFW Auxillary Patriotic Instructor.
Twelve years after his death, the community continues to keep his memory alive. Throughout the month of May, a display at the local library reminds people of the hero who called Dunedin home.
"People need to associate a face and a name. He was a Dunedin kid. A hero. I think he represents what its all about," said Kelly.
Kimberly finds comfort in knowing the community backs all military families.
"You're never truly gone until you're forgotten," said Kimberly.
Thanks to people like Kelly McKinley, Specialist Zachary Shannon's legacy will continue to live on.
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
The Source
Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Epstein.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Armed and dangerous' home invasion suspect on the run, Hernando deputies say
The Brief Hernando County deputies are searching for Curtis Neraasen, 28, who's wanted after a home invasion. The reported crime happened at a home along Cobblestone Dr. in Spring Hill shortly after 3 a.m. Monday. Neraasen is considered armed and dangerous. SPRING HILL, Fla. - The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is searching for a suspect considered armed and dangerous after a home invasion early Monday. What we know Investigators say a man later identified as Curtis Neraasen, 28, was armed as he broke into a home along Cobblestone Dr. in Spring Hill shortly after 3 a.m. Monday. HCSO says no one was hurt, and Neraasen got away before deputies arrived. Neraasen and the victim are known to each other, according to investigators. Neraasen is described as 5'11" and 180 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, with deputies saying he was last seen on Spring Hill Dr. near Kass Cir. wearing a light gray tank top and light blue shorts. HCSO says the weapon used in the home invasion has been found, but Neraasen remains on the run. What we don't know No further details on the exact motive for the home invasion were released. What you can do Anyone who sees Curtis Neraasen is urged to call 911 immediately. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This story was written with information from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How to protect yourself from the 'Found in China' phone scam
Question: My iPhone was stolen 6 months ago, and I just received a text from someone in the Philippines claiming they have my phone, asking me to remove it from my iCloud account so they can reset it. What should I do? Answer: Having a smartphone stolen is stressful enough without having to deal with scammers. Activating Lost Mode was the right thing to do, but it could also be how the thieves figure out how to contact you. This scam targets iPhone users after their stolen devices are marked as lost in Apple's 'Find My' system, which prevents the thieves from using it. A user loses their phone and remotely locks it through Find My, enabling Lost Mode. This feature not only disables the phone for anyone who tries to use it but also allows the owner to display a custom message on the lock screen — often something like, 'This phone is lost. Please call me at [your or a spouse's number.' The victim then receives a text, email, or even a phone call from someone claiming to have found the phone. They often say they're in a different country — China and the Philippines are common locations in many reports — and that they want to return or reset the device, but can't because it's locked to the original Apple ID. Getting tired of email clutter? How to start using Gmail aliases Their request? They ask you to remove the device from your iCloud account so they can perform a factory reset, so your data gets wiped out. They might claim they bought the phone secondhand and didn't realize it was lost, or that they work at a repair shop and just want to restore it. Sometimes they're even polite and apologetic, hoping to earn your trust. This is a well-composed scam, and the goal is simple: trick you into disabling Activation Lock, which is Apple's anti-theft protection. Once the phone is removed from your iCloud account, the thief can wipe it clean and resell it on the black market at full value. What makes this scam especially effective is that it preys on people who are already upset about losing their phone and hopeful that someone has found it. But this isn't about reuniting you with your lost device — it's about getting around Apple's security so the bad guys can cash in. In most cases, they get your contact information directly from the message you posted using Lost Mode. If you included your phone number or email address, you've essentially handed them a direct line to try and manipulate you. Even if you didn't, these are sophisticated, organized crime rings that have other ways of figuring out who owned the iPhone. Laptop battery starting to fail? How you can keep it running as long as possible Never remove your device from your iCloud account unless you have it physically back in your hands. Avoid posting personal phone numbers or emails in the Lost Mode message. If you must include contact information, consider using a throwaway email or a Google Voice number. Ignore calls or texts from people claiming to have your phone, especially if they're asking you to disable Find My. They're likely to be relentless and, in some cases, may keep trying to convince you for many months. Apple designed Activation Lock to protect your device and your data. The only way thieves can make use of a locked iPhone is if they convince you to unlock it for them, so don't do it! This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ways to protect yourself from the 'Found in China' phone scam Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Shimmers, floating toolbars, and radical transparency: Here's what iOS 26 could look like
In less than two weeks, on June 9, Apple will kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), in which it will showcase the next versions of the operating systems that power its myriad devices. The centerpiece of that event will be iOS 26, the soon-to-be renumbered operating system that powers the company's flagship product, the iPhone. Sellers or buyers housing market? Zillow's analysis for 250 metros Texas is headed for a drought—but lawmakers won't do the one thing necessary to save its water supply Improving communication and collaboration Yet, despite artificial intelligence being all the rage in the tech industry right now, reports say that with iOS 26 (formerly referred to as iOS 19—see below), Apple will promote something visual instead of artificial. While some new AI features may be baked into the newly renumbered OS, the key feature of iOS 26 will be its complete visual redesign. In other words, your iPhone's software is about to look strikingly different. Here's how. Two big changes are coming to the next iOS. The first is a naming rebrand. Historically, iOS versions were numbered sequentially, starting with 'iPhone OS 1' for the original iPhone in 2007. With the iPhone's 2010 operating system—its fourth version—Apple shortened the name to 'iOS 4.' However, Bloomberg reports that starting with the new iOS Apple will debut on June 9, the company will drop the sequential numbering of the operating system, and go with the year it will spill over into, just like carmakers do with vehicles. So, despite being the 19th version, the upcoming iOS will no longer be called 'iOS 19' and will instead be called 'iOS 26.' This change will be carried over to the numbering system on all of Apple's other operating systems, too, and is reportedly being done to provide a more uniform numbering scheme for its various software products (currently numbered macOS 16, iPadOS 18, and visionOS 2, etc), and make it easier for consumers to identify if they are running the latest device software. However, the rebranded iOS naming scheme is a relatively minor change compared to what else Apple has in store for iOS 19—sorry, iOS 26. That change is a radical visual redesign of the operating system. Most of what is currently known about iOS 26's visual overhaul comes from two sources: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Jon Prosser, host of the Front Page Tech YouTube channel. Both have reported on iOS 26's major redesign, and their reports largely align, suggesting that they are, at least in part, accurate. So what will iOS 26 look like? Its internal codename—something Apple assigns to every software product in development—gives us a big clue. That name is 'solarium,' Bloomberg reported. If you're wondering what a solarium is, know that you've probably stood in one if you've ever been to an interior garden. It's a room fitted with glass walls and ceilings, designed to let as much sunlight as possible filter in. Apple presumably chose the 'solarium' codename for iOS 26 because the entire operating system will have a glass-like appearance. By 'glass-like,' think of an operating system with elements like menus and toolbars that are partially transparent—you can see through them, and the colors and shapes of content behind them will show through, just like light shows through a solarium's glass walls. If this sounds vaguely familiar to you, it's because Apple has actually used similar transparency in one of its operating systems before—visionOS, the software that powers the Apple Vision Pro. Indeed, reports suggest that iOS 19's design is inspired by visionOS. But visionOS powers a spatial computing device—one that melds the physical world with the digital. That 3D interface relies heavily on digital drop shadows and other visual tricks to re-create the feeling of physical depth. However, an iPhone's operating system runs on a 2D screen, so don't expect iOS 26 to feature heavy digital dropshadows. If you want to see how Apple will handle transparent elements on a 2D device, you don't have to wait until June 9. Instead, simply check out Apple's new Invites app, which it launched in February. You can see a screenshot of it above. See how different the UI looks in the app from the UI of iOS 18 currently? Those glassy panes in the app give the best visual hint of what to expect system-wide in iOS 26. Another reported feature of the redesign is reflective buttons and other elements that shimmer when you move your phone. This shimmering isn't caused by real light hitting your iPhone's screen. Rather, the software can tell, thanks to your iPhone's gyroscope, when the device is moving and tilting in your hand, and will thus generate a reflective light effect across buttons to give the translucent objects more depth and form. It will probably be very similar to how the home screen icons in tvOS, the operating system that powers the Apple TV, appear to shimmer when you gently swipe them with your thumb using the Siri Remote's touchpad. iOS 26 is also expected to gain other major visual changes, including floating pill-shaped toolbars (replacing the fixed toolbars used at the bottom of iPhone apps now), thinner buttons, a glass-like keyboard, and potentially even rounder app icons. Those who have reportedly seen builds of iOS 26 say the redesign that Apple is set to unveil in less than two weeks represents the most significant visual overhaul to the iPhone's operating system since iOS 7 in 2013—a design that has largely persisted through and to the current iOS 18. Indeed, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has called the redesign transformative, stating that it is 'one of the most dramatic software overhauls in the company's history' while noting that it 'will fundamentally change' the look of iOS. But here's one thing about change: most people hate it—or are at least apprehensive about it. And Apple has a lot of people to contend with. It has more than two billion active devices around the world, used by hundreds of millions of users, and the switch isn't coming to just the iPhone's operating system, but to the operating systems of all of Apple's devices this fall, including the iPad's iPadOS, the Mac's macOS, the Apple Watch's watchOS, the Apple TV's tvOS, and the Vision Pro's visionOS (all renumbered to '26,' too). But Apple reportedly feels it needs to deliver something this year with iOS and its other operating systems that is, quite literally, eye-catching. It needs something special to help reinvigorate device sales, particularly after the flagship feature of iOS 18, Apple Intelligence, has largely been met with indifference by the average consumer and disappointment by AI aficionados. In January, respected TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Apple Intelligence was driving hardware upgrade cycles among consumers. In Apple's most recent financial report, from its second quarter, iPhone revenue rose about 2% from the same period a year earlier, to $46.8 billion, but that growth may have been driven by U.S. consumers snapping up the device before Trump's tariffs make iPhones more costly, notes Sherwood. Putting a new digital coat of paint on iOS 26 and the company's other new operating systems is an easy way to make its devices feel fresh again—and, if done right, it can go a long way to actually making the ever-increasingly complicated operating systems more straightforward to use and easier to navigate. By incorporating the same design language used in iOS 26 into its other products, the redesigned interface may make users feel more familiar with Apple's other devices, which could help spur sales of Macs or Apple TVs to people who currently only own iPhones. The iOS 26 redesign may also help distract from the fact that Apple isn't expected to make any significant announcements regarding its AI platform, Apple Intelligence, at WWDC. Despite the early reports about iOS 26's visual changes, we won't know anything for sure until Apple unveils a preview of the upcoming operating system at WWDC on June 9. Speaking of that event: Apple's logo for WWDC25 may be teasing the iOS 26 redesign in plain sight. If you check out the animated logo here, you'll notice that the ends of the transparent, glass-like rainbow seem to show colored light reflecting through its surface—just like you'd see at a solarium. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter:
