City to replant tree honoring former airman who was MIA for nearly 25 years

When Capt. Anthony Shine deployed for his second tour of duty in Vietnam in the fall of 1972, his family had no idea that they would have no idea where he was for nearly 25 years.

Shine, who was declared missing in action on Dec. 2, 1972, was killed when his plane was shot down during his time over Vietnam.

It wasn’t until 1996 that some of his remains were recovered and he was given a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

In honor of Shine, the City of Myrtle Beach planted a tree outside of Chapin Memorial Library, known as the Freedom Tree. As storms recently ravaged the Grand Strand, the tree was damaged.

Now, the city is planting a new one in honor of Shine as part of Myrtle Beach’s Annual Arbor Day Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Dec. 8. A member of the Shine family will be present at the ceremony.

Shine was a part of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base that closed in 1993 after the federal government completed a Socioeconomic Impact Analysis Study, causing the loss of about 5,100 jobs, but creating The Market Common.

This story was originally published November 26, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "City to replant tree honoring former airman who was MIA for nearly 25 years."