He joined the Cub Scouts at the age of six. At eight he became an altar server at his church. In 1996, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the second one awarded by his Boy Scout Troop 180.

Sheehan was killed in action after volunteering as part of a Quick Reaction Force to rescue American troops. Sheehan was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal with V for Valor posthumously for actions in Iraq April 4, 2004. The chapel at Fort Hood started a new Knights of Columbus chapter that was named the Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan Council.

The grave of Casey Sheehan, after two years, and a Dept of Defense payment of $250,000 to the "Peace Mom", Cindy Sheehan had no headstone

the Dept of Defense provided one:

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a government headstone or marker for the grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world. For all deaths occurring before September 11, 2001 , the VA may provide a headstone or marker only for graves that are not marked with a private headstone.

Flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze and upright headstones in granite and marble are available. The style chosen must be consistent with existing monuments at the place of burial Niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for inurnment of cremated remains."

"For two years after Casey Sheehan's death, his burial site in a Vacaville, California, cemetery remained unadorned with a formal headstone (although it was marked by a simple placard). In April 2006, Cindy Sheehan attempted to articulate the reasons for the lack of a headstone at her son's grave, citing her grief and unwillingness to acknowledge her son's death with a tangible symbol:

For the first year after Casey was killed, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to place a TOMBstone on my son's grave. I didn't want one more marble proof that my son was dead. I couldn't even call where he was buried a "cemetery," I had to call it "Casey's Park." I placed fresh flowers in the cup every week and journaled there almost on a daily basis, and often laid on it and fell asleep and dreamed of my needlessly killed son. In the same explanation, she also suggested that part of the reason for the lack of a headstone might be a dispute over monies paid to the mortuary that handled Casey's funeral services:

We had a Casualty Officer who abandoned us when our mortuary refused to pay the cemetery and told us that the "government sent the money to the mortuary, so now it is your problem. You may have to sue the mortuary."

The owner of the mortuary, Steve Nadeau, disputed this statement: Steve Nadeau, the mortuary's owner, said that not only did he properly pay the cemetery, but that he subsidized the process with his own money.

Nadeau expressed hurt and disbelief at Sheehan's comments. He said that the amount of money the military gave the mortuary for Casey's funeral service and cemetery arrangements didn't even come close to covering the costs.
"Several kind citizens made donations," said Nadeau. "I absorbed the rest."



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