Captain Shannon P. Meehan (Ret.) was a leader of a tank platoon for the storied 1st Cavalry Division of the U. S. Army. He graduated from VMI with distinction, having also studied at Oxford, and earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and an Army Commendation for Valor, amongst other military honors while serving in Iraq. Shannon, born and raised just outside of Philadelphia in Delaware County, attended Upper Darby High School, where he was inducted into the high school's Wall of Fame for his accomplishments in the sport of wrestling. |  |
Meehan deployed to the Diyala Province of Iraq in Oct 2006, where he commanded an area of land that included the city of Baqubah. He led over 700 combat and civil operations in an area spanning over 100 sq miles and containing over 100,000 people. Meehan initiated council meetings with Iraqi leaders, resulting in intelligence and the capture of over 80 enemy insurgents. He also coordinated and oversaw the investment of over $600,000 to improve infrastructures within his area of command, and he was rated Top Platoon Leader out of 22 in the Battalion throughout the 15 month deployment. On 22 September of 2007, Meehan was injured in an IED strike and diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury and nerve damage to his back.
The following years, Shannon completed physical and cognitive rehabilitation at Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX. During this time, Shannon served as Warrior Transition Unit Public Affairs officer, and worked with VMI English and Fine Arts Professor Roger Thompson on the nationally-acclaimed memoir Beyond Duty (Polity Press), which chronicles firsthand the difficult challenges facing soldiers in today’s wars. Beyond Duty has since become the fastest-selling book in the press’s history, having three printings within the first four months of publication. It has also been named Military Writers Society of America’s Book of the Month during its first full month of publication.
Captain Shannon P. Meehan was medically retired in November of 2009. He now travels the country, sharing his story with fellow vets and the public, speaking at places such as USC Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Syracuse University, as well as interviews in The New York Times and CNN with Barbara Starr. Shannon now resides in Delaware County with his wife, AJ, and new-born son, Brady Cole, born January 7th. Shannon has just recently been nominated as a candidate for Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives.
Roger Thompson is a Full Professor of English and Fine Arts at Virginia Military Institute. He is an award-winning nonfiction writer whose work has appeared in academic and non-academic journals. Roger earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Married to Laura, Roger raises his son, Ethan, in the town of |  |
Questions or Comments to: cptmeehan@yahoo.com and visit our facebook page, “Beyond Duty,” for updates and event information
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beyond-Duty/107283472609?_fb_noscript=1
