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“Snap, pop…Snap, snap!” That is the sound of 7.62 x 39mm projectiles breaking the sound barrier inches from your head. Fear freezes
you, but then you breathe and relax while your training and instincts take over. “Get down, everybody down, does anyone see what
direction the shooter is firing from?” shouts SSG Shannon to his men as the rounds litter the hot Iraqi air…”BOOM, KABOOM!!!”
Suddenly all is quiet; dust and smoke fills the air. SSG Shannon hears only the sound of his heartbeat getting faster and faster as he
realizes…”Incoming, INCOMING everyone take cover,” he shouts over his heartbeat, as mortars shower him and his men with shrapnel
and debris from the explosion. With instincts now at the helm, fear vanishes and he knows what to do. Pushing himself beyond his own
limits his focus falls onto his men. “Have to get to the men. By all that is good in his life, it will be done, for God, Country and the Men,”
he thinks, “he will help his men.”
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Time seems to slow into a more constrained entity that is more easily controlled by the combat experienced Platoon Sergeant, as if there
is some greater power lending him a hand. Thousands of questions are rushing towards SSG Shannon almost simultaneously, but from where and by whom? How could one man answer all the panicked voices racing in his head? Suddenly, all questions are answered and SSG Shannon’s nerves calm.
SSG Shannon reasons through the situation…”All men are in the vehicles minus two, including himself, and about ten Iraqi Police were
in close proximity of the mortars when they came in. Doc is in vehicle two. I need to grab him and my team leaders to look for the
wounded quickly.” All these solutions came rushing through his mind in a matter of seconds, and SSG Shannon quickly moves into action,
just as the thoughts had been played out in his mind. It seemed as if someone or something was controlling SSG Shannon, as if he was
a character in some crazed video game; but there was no game, no restarts, and no extra lives.
“Doc. Team leaders, let’s go let’s go” the platoon Sergeant shouts and his team immediately understands and jumps into action. Doc and
SSG Shannon swiftly find Major Haythem lying on his back yelling in agony. “Wrap it up Doc, it’s just a superficial leg wound to the lower
left leg. He is non-critical; get him on the up-armored HMVV. Hurry, hurry, before more rounds start coming in,” Shannon shouts. The
combat veteran moves from wounded to wounded as if it was an act he was performing after extensive rehearsals. It was almost as if
he was being controlled by some other presence—God, perhaps? Maybe luck or training?
SSG Shannon, through a combination of God’s good graces, luck and training was able to, with his men, save two lives and successfully return everyone back to Camp Ramadi safely. These were the events on November 29th 2006 during his final deployment in Iraq. This day will forever play an important role in SSG Shannon’s life. It is a day he will never forget and relive often.
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On this unfortunate day, SSG Shannon lost the vision in one eye, suffered nerve damage to his left leg and now deals with moderate traumatic brain injuries. None of his men were significantly injured and two Iraqi Policemen’s lives were saved on that hot day. SSG Shannon believes that God walked by his side on that glorious day, “He helped me make all the correct decisions so I might ensure the safe return of all my men…I often wonder how I made it out of there alive, and then I thank God for giving me the strength.”
SSG Shannon can breathe again as he reflects of this moment that he has termed “One Final Moment” and is moved to helping others who share similar traumatic experiences. Believing that an injury should not harm your dignity or standard of living, he has dedicated his time to Helping Hands for Freedom and the realization of their mission to supporting military families dealing with injury and loss and teaching life skills to children through mentorship and positive leadership programs.
SSG Patrick Shannon has spent eight years in the US Marine Corps and currently is in his fifth year with the US Army. He brings years of military service that is priceless to the development and success of Helping Hands for Freedom. After receiving rewards like the Bronze Star and Purple Heart from the United States military he is excited to bring the goals of Helping Hands for Freedom to reality. As the Executive Director of Helping Hands for Freedom SSG Patrick Shannon wishes to ensure that service men that have lived through tragic experiences similar to his get the treatment and help they need and deserve.
As a father of four beautiful children, he also maintains a vested interested in our nation’s future. By joining Helping Hands for Freedom, SSG Shannon is expanding his mission from a strictly military focus, working with organizations like the Wounded Warriors Project, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion in the past, to now focus on military children. He looks forward translate his passion and dedication within the military service into becoming a positive role model and leader for children across the country.
With SSG Shannon, Rodney Smith brings to Helping Hands for Freedom almost 20 years of non-profit experience. As an active member of the non-profit community Rodney has dedicated his time and efforts to the betterment and advancement of children as well as military service members and their families. Rodney Smith has founded and worked with other non-profit organizations like Future for KIDS and Freedom Is Not Free. He has created, managed and operated 100 youth camps and reached out to over 130,000 children and parents; while raising and distributing over 580,000 USD since 2006 in grants and relief funds to wounded service members, their families and the families of the fatally wounded through Freedom Is Not Free.
Both SSG Shannon and Rodney believe that through mentorship and after-school sports and education programs one can open more doors and create more opportunities for children otherwise disadvantaged. And through financial relief we can better take care of those who protect us. Helping Hands for Freedom’s objective is to continue a tradition of service in the improvement of those lives we have come to rely upon.
Helping Hands for Freedom works to fill the gaps in assistance to better the lives of all.
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