SSG Shannon is a United States Marine Corps veteran with a distinguished service record including “Operation Restore Hope” in Somalia. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his wounds and heroism at Al Hyria Station in the city of Ramadi, in the deadly province of Al Anbar. He received the Sam Walton Hero Award from Wal-Mart, and is a national spokesperson for the wounded.
Shannon spent six months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he spent time talking to other wounded soldiers. This experience was very eye-opening for him. He soon realized that none of the families of the fallen or the wounded were being helped, so he got the idea of starting his own 501(c)(3) organization to fill that need. That organization is Helping Hands for Freedom.