Bill Shanahan had an “It’s a Wonderful Life” moment when he came back to Haddonfield this past December, on leave after eight months in Afghanistan.
He went out for a jog and felt like George Bailey running through the streets of Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve.
The 29-year New Jersey Army National Guard veteran recently returned for good in April after a year away from his wife, Shannon, and his twin son and daughter, Liam and Caitlyn.
While in Afghanistan, Shanahan, lieutenant-colonel, was the executive officer and senior mentor for the NATO Training Mission — Afghanistan Counterinsurgency Training Center –from June 2011 to February. He was also the director for the District Stability Framework program at the center.
This involved certification in DSF and as an instructor; working with assigned contractors to complete training classes, both resident and mobile training teams; curriculum review and development; and quality control.
Shanahan said his group would meet with village elders and help streamline the coalition forces and Afghani policemen who the Army trained to help fight the insurgents.
It was an interesting career path for the now director of government relations and grants administration at the Delaware River Port Authority. In his early 20s, Shanahan said most of his friends were signing up for the National Guard and it looked like a great time.
“It’s funny. I had a group of friends in the National Guard, they were in the scout platoon and they were doing some really cool things. When you’re a young man, cool things are very important in your life,” he said with a laugh. “It sounded like high adventure, so I enlisted.”
So he signed up for the New Jersey Army National Guard, in the 19th Delta, as a Calvary scout. He then went to officer candidate’s school and branched out to aviation and graduated from flight school.
But after 29-years of active duty, why did Shanahan enlist for his first tour of duty last year?
“It was an option to take this deployment. It was a hard decision with a family here and everything. I’ve got twins at home, a boy and a girl,” he said. “But, I’ve been in the guard almost 30 years and you I’ve never been deployed. It’s a weird situation. You don’t really want to go but everyone is going. It’s a hard dynamic. There’s a big sense of duty involved in the decision.”
After a year of being away, though, it was time to come home. Shannon is the real hero, he said, because she had the difficult task of maintaining the home front and raising their twins by herself.
It doesn’t help to have to go through two natural disasters in the span of two months, either.
“It’s the hardest part of any deployment, being away from your family. Thank God for Skype. My wife stepped up to the plate and without her, it was impossible. She had the hardest job — maintaining the home front with the kids. She went through an earthquake and a hurricane when I was gone, it was crazy,” he said. “Just coming home and seeing the family was the best. I just wanted to see my family.”
Shanahan will remain in the National Guard and said he wasn’t looking for another deployment, but would be ready if called upon.
