Honoring AFW2 Women: MSgt. Shannon Cassinelli

  • Published
  • By Shannon Hall
  • Air Force Wounded Warrior Program

People join the military for many different reasons. Some want to prepare for the future, some want to truly serve their country and some want to escape the current situation they are in. Some people are unsure of what they want and just so happen to pass a recruiters office and sign that contract.

“I noticed a lot of my friends in high school didn’t have a solid path and I didn’t want to end up in the same boat,” said Master Sgt. Shannon Cassinelli, Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2). “I decided to drive past the recruiter’s office and just went in one day. My parents signed the papers for me, I left to basic training ten months later and the rest is history.”

MSgt. Cassinelli is the Deputy Airfield Manager at Duke Field Air Force Base in Florida. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois with 3 siblings and her parents. Something she cherishes most about her childhood is all of the time her family spent together and her parents doing everything necessary to provide a great life for their kids.

She joined the Air Force right before the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11. Although throughout most of her career she has not faced any challenges being a woman who serves, that was not always the case in the beginning.

“My first deployment was in 2005, with the Army, and it was a completely different environment. I was told that nobody was going to listen to me because I am a woman and in the Air Force,” MSgt. Cassinelli said. “They did not appreciate women, and that made the environment very challenging.”

That one deployment may have been a struggle, but that didn’t stop MSgt. Cassinelli from continuing her career. Like most Airmen, she had a mentor to help along the way. Mentors are there to guide Airmen through career changes, career advancement and some personal life choices when necessary.

Another way MSgt. Cassinelli copes and stays motivated is through art, more specifically her tattoos. They are one way she expresses herself, without having to talk about her life, what she’s been through and who she is today.

“They are all part of who I am as a person on the inside, because I don’t really share who I am,” MSgt. Cassinelli said. “All the tattoos I have are either related to pain that I’ve felt or the good things that I’ve felt. It’s a constant reminder of where I’ve come from and things that are close to my heart.”

Along with her tattoo therapy, Mgt. Cassinelli was seeking mental health therapy to help cope with her trauma. When she realized how hard it can be, she went to her commander to try and find ways to make it easier and that is how she became a part of the AFW2 family.

“I was extremely frustrated and ended up trying to talk to my chain of command and somehow my story reached the Command Chief at Eglin and he requested a sit down with me,” MSgt. Cassinelli said. “I told him my frustrations with seeking mental health care and a little about my history and he got me in touch with the RCC Jeff Mayberry and they got me enrolled into the program.”

MSgt. Cassinelli has been a part of the AFW2 Program for almost 2 years now, and is now an AFW2 Ambassador. Even though her retirement date is coming up, she is still thinking through future plans on whether to stay in or try a new career path.

“The Air Force has given me so many opportunities that I would not have had if I didn’t join. I’ve gotten to travel all over and work with so many different people,” MSgt. Cassinelli said. “Now I’m a part of the Wounded Warrior Program which is a whole network within itself. It will change your life for the better.”

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VIDEO | 11:44 | MSgt Shannon Cassinelli