Colonel (Ret.) Shawn Daniel
Founder and President,
Darby's Warrior Support
Honoring Service, Leadership, and 250 Years of American Resilience
Colonel (Ret.) Shawn Daniel is a 1993 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he served as First Captain of the Corps of Cadets. He went on to a distinguished career in the United States Army. On the night of October 19, 2001, he led the first American combat troops to parachute into Afghanistan—seizing Objective Rhino and opening the ground campaign of Operation Enduring Freedom in the south. Over the course of his career, Colonel Daniel would deploy once to Iraq and seven times to Afghanistan.
In 2022, the Ranger community recognized that lifetime of leadership and sacrifice by inducting him into the Ranger Hall of Fame.
But Colonel Daniel’s service did not end when he took off the uniform. He returned home to Arkansas and founded Darby’s Warrior Support—named for William O. Darby, the Arkansas native who created the modern Rangers in World War II. Through this organization, Shawn has spent the last decade providing free, all-inclusive hunting and fishing experiences for post-9/11 special operations veterans. His belief is simple and powerful: nature heals. The results speak for themselves—hundreds of warriors have walked through his doors, and not one has been lost to suicide.
In a year when we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, it is only fitting that we hear from an American hero who has fought to keep us free and lead thousands of others in battle, but who fights just as hard to support those heroes and their families when they come home, just like the citizen-soldiers of 1776.
Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the leadership principles demonstrated through military service and veteran advocacy.
2. Discuss how servant leadership contributes to organizational culture and long-term success.
3. Examine the significance of America's 250th anniversary through the lens of leadership, service, and national resilience.
4. Reflect on ways leadership lessons from military service can be applied to professional and personal development.
About Shawn Daniel:
Colonel (Retired) Shawn Daniel graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and earned the distinction of serving as the First Captain for the Corp of Cadets during his senior year. Commissioned as an Infantry Officer, he reported to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for his first assignment.
As a Captain, Shawn commanded a Mechanized Infantry Company in the 2d Infantry Division at Camp Casey Korea before reporting to 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He took command of C Company, 3/75 Ranger in March 2001, and he led C Company in a parachute assault into Afghanistan on 19 October 2001 to spearhead US and NATO efforts in the southern portion of the country in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Shawn would deploy again with C Company in June 2002.
Following Command and General Staff College studies, Shawn reported to 187th Infantry Regiment, "Rakkasans," at Fort Campbell, Kentucky where he served as a Squadron and Brigade S3 during a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He returned to the 75th Ranger Regiment in 2007 to assume duties as the Regimental Strategic Plans and Requirements office and as the Regimental Executive Office. During his tenure at the Ranger Regimental Headquarters, Shawn deployed several times to Afghanistan to include serving as the Operations Officer for the Special Operations Joint Task Force again in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Shawn took command of 3d Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne) at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska in June 2010. Shawn again deployed to Afghanistan - this time as part of the International Security Force Assistance mission. Following redeployment, he attended the US Army War College Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Shawn's final assignment was at the US Special Operations Command Headquarters at MacDill AFB, Tampa as the Director of the Afghanistan Division in the Operations Directorate. During his tenure, Shawn was selected to serve as the Operations Officer for the NATO Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan / Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel and the Resolute Support Mission. He retired from the Army in September 2017.
Shawn's awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal (3 oak leaf clusters), the Meritorious Service Medal (4 oak leaf clusters), the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge with gold combat star, and the Air Assault Badge. In July 2022, Shawn was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Shawn is married to the former Miss Dena Wortsmith of Little Rock, Arkansas. They have two children - Katie Grace (22), a nurse at Vanderbilt Hospital, and Jake (20), a sophomore Sigma Chi / Civil Engineering major at the University of Arkansas.