valdiateRequired.js has a trim() function which is used by other JavaScript validations (e.g. validateMinLength.js) - this function should be in the "common" utilities script/file.
Raised on the user list in this thread: http://tinyurl.com/2ursju
Shale project created a custom version of valdiateRequired.js with this change - see https://issues.apache.org/struts/browse/SHALE-248