Sam Reinerberg is a prior enlisted U.S. Army soldier who served as an 88-kilo watercraft operator from Fort Eustis, Virginia, aboard the logistics support vessel LSV-5. He earned a division commander's green to gold scholarship in 2023 and is a senior in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at Old Dominion University, commissioning as an active duty second lieutenant in May 2024.

On March 12th, 2024, Reinerberg was attending his senior military science class taught by Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw when terrorist Mohammed Jalah entered the classroom and opened fire. Reinerberg and three other cadets immediately engaged the shooter, eliminating the threat in under four minutes while Reinerberg simultaneously provided life-saving medical aid to the fatally wounded Colonel Shaw.

The conversation covers the timeline of the attack, the heroic response by the cadets, the preventable nature of the incident due to early prison release policies, and Reinerberg's ongoing processing of the traumatic events. He received a Soldier's Medal for his actions and is set to deploy to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division as a logistics officer.

The Attack Timeline: Four Minutes That Changed Everything

At 10:43 AM on March 12th, Mohammed Jalah entered the ROTC classroom asking 'is this ROTC or is this seminar?' - upon confirmation, he yelled 'Allahu Akbar' and opened fire at Colonel Shaw from 5-6 feet away.

Colonel Shaw immediately closed the distance and bear-hugged the shooter while being shot, bringing him to the ground as four cadets converged on the threat.

Sam and another cadet grabbed the slide of the Glock to prevent it from cycling: 'We had our hands on the top of the slide of this Glock...as soon as we had the gun pointed away from our classmates' - Sam

The terrorist was eliminated through multiple stab wounds from a 2-3 inch knife and physical force, with Sam gouging out one of his eyes with his finger during the struggle.

Police arrived at 10:47 AM to find the shooter already dead - the entire engagement lasted less than four minutes with the cadets eliminating the threat before law enforcement arrived.

Life-Saving Medical Aid Under Extreme Conditions

After neutralizing the shooter, Sam immediately focused on Colonel Shaw who had been shot once in the upper leg/femoral area: 'I took the shirt up, shirt up, and I took his pants down. And I'm searching for blood or wounds' - Sam

Sam applied multiple tourniquets using cadet belts and later a police tourniquet, moving Shaw from the classroom to the hallway and then outside for better treatment access.

Colonel Shaw regained consciousness multiple times, asking for his inhaler and remaining alert while Sam provided reassurance: 'Brandon, we're gonna get you out of here, man. They're right here. The ambulance is right here' - Sam

Sam was covered in blood 'from my shoes up to my chest and my hands to my elbows' and remained at the police station for seven hours before being allowed to clean up.

The Terrorist's Preventable Path to Violence

Mohammed Jalah served honorably in the Army National Guard from 2009-2015 before becoming radicalized through online al-Qaeda lectures and ISIS contact.

In 2016, Jalah was arrested after attempting to purchase an AR-15 and donate $500 to ISIS, pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.

Despite being sentenced to 11 years for terrorism charges, Jalah was released on December 23rd, 2024 - two and a half years early through a residential drug abuse program (RDAP) loophole.

Federal law prohibits violent offenders from early release via RDAP, but Jalah exploited a loophole that has since been closed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2025.

Recognition and Moving Forward Despite Trauma

Sam received a Meritorious Service Medal being upgraded to a Soldier's Medal, presented by the Secretary of the Army and Sergeant Major of the Army at Colonel Shaw's funeral.

The day after the attack, Sam received orders for his next assignment: 'I found out I was going to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, 25th Infantry' as a logistics officer.

Old Dominion University initially sent Sam an email about 'no intention of pressing charges...in accordance with the student code of conduct' which the university president personally apologized for.

Despite the trauma, Sam remains committed to military service: 'I want to serve even more' and continues processing the loss of Colonel Shaw through staying active and talking with mentors.