At least one member of Heather Shreve’s family has continuously served in the U.S. Army, since its inception in 1775 — and as the Army celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, Shreve said she’s proud of the “heroic impulse” to serve rooted deep in her family.
Shreve, who lives in Hampstead, can trace her lineage back to the Revolutionary War, where her direct ancestors Lt. Clement Holliday and Col. Tench Tilghman fought in the Army. Tilghman was an aide-de-camp for George Washington and travelled to Pennsylvania to deliver the news that British officer Charles Cornwallis had surrendered.
Heather’s grandfather and his brother, Col. Arthur Lee Shreve Jr. and Col. Levin Gale Shreve, lived in what’s now Ellicott City, near Triadelphia Road, when they served in World War II.
Capt. Arthur Lee Shreve III, Heather’s father, also served in the Army in the 1950s, and “many, many others” in the Shreve family have served in the military.
“It’s just something they’re drawn to,” Shreve said. Her two children, 27-year-old Emilia and 23-year-old Lee, haven’t served in the military, but she believes they exhibit the same passion to serve others in their everyday lives.
Shreve has devoted much of her life to keeping the Shreve legacy alive by sharing the stories of her ancestors by writing books, creating TV shows, and collecting pictures and news clippings. She will release her newest historical fiction novel online Saturday. Titled “The Long Blue Shadow,” she says the book aims to connect readers to a “deeper story and strength of military families and milspouses, often overlooked.”
“For me, it’s a mission to share the stories that are so inspirational,” she said. “It exposes that heroic impulse.”
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