It’s an honor to be here as the newest contributor to MilitaryFamily.com! I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself:

My name is Torrey Shannon and I am a writer, author, blogger, movie consultant, speaker, veteran’s advocate and Blue Star Mom. I am also a full-time caregiver and spouse of a wounded warrior.

My husband survived a gunshot wound to the head in a gunfight in Iraq in 2004 after serving in the Army for more than 23 years. We spent three years of his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  He has severe PTSD and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Dealing with the invisible wounds of war first-hand allows me to bring a human element to the problems our military communities face.

I work closely with organizations and agencies like the Pentagon, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Challenge America, The Sierra Club, HelpingAHero.org, Team River Runner and Challenge Aspen as an advocate, helping veterans and their families improve their quality of life in the face of military injuries, both visible and invisible. I have also helped The Sesame Workshop develop a series of Sesame Street episodes serving military families covering topics like deployments, changes, grief and homecomings. I am currently serving on the State of Colorado American Legion’s VA&R Committee.

Blogging for MilitaryFamily.com gives me the chance to do what I love the most: write about life after combat and help create awareness and solutions for military members and their families.

More about me:

I have three boys ages 11, 15 and 21.  My oldest son joined the Army in 2011 and went into the Infantry, just like his Dad.  He went to boot camp in Fort Benning, GA and will soon be going to his next duty station in Fort Knox, KY.

I live in a very remote area of Colorado at an elevation of 9,100′ above sea level.  How remote is it, you ask?  The nearest stoplight is 45 miles away!

I don’t get out much, needless to say, so I write.

When I am not writing, I do the normal spouse stuff like making sure my husband and two younger boys eat more than popcorn for lunch and praying a maid service company will finally open up in our teeny little town of 455 people.

I freelance for a variety of publications and media outlets and am currently writing a book. You can learn more about my work by visiting my blog at TorreyShannon.com.  You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest.