Tuesday, February 21, 2023 l 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Shawn L. Daniel

Colonel, USA, Ret.
President, Darby’s
Warrior Support

Shawn Daniel and Darby’s Warrior Support

According to the Special Operations Association of America, here’s the life that Special Operations Soldiers sign up for: operators can expect to spend nine months or more of each calendar year deployed or away from home training, sustaining this pace for 12 - 20+ years, often racking-up eight - 20 deployments. Since 2001, a special operations soldier with a 15-year-old child has only been home for about five years of their child’s life.

Those seeking post-service care often report more than 10 orthopedic surgeries, 2,000 - 3,000 airborne jumps, toxic exposures, and career blast wave exposures several orders of magnitude higher than conventional counterparts. These hazards have a lasting and cumulative impact on body and brain, and they influence how special operators understand and access care.

These stressors differ in such a degree to other Service members that medical professionals identified a unique syndrome, currently termed, Operator Syndrome. This refers to the sum total of unique medical, psychological, and social healthcare needs that include traumatic brain injury, endocrine (hormonal) dysfunctions, sleep apnea, sleep disturbance, chronic pain and headaches, marital and sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairments, vestibular problems, and existential challenges, as well as substance abuse, psychiatric disorders. And, unfortunately, a higher risk of suicide.

All done, to provide us the freedom we enjoy today.

Stepping up to help his fellow Special Forces veterans involved in combat since 9/11 is Colonel (ret.) Shawn Daniel. Shawn created Darby Warriors Support (DWS) to provide physically and emotionally injured post 9/11 Special Operations Combat veterans with all-inclusive Arkansas hunting and fishing opportunities in an environment that comforts, encourages and fosters rehabilitation, recovery and transition.

Named after William Orlando Darby who organized the First Ranger Battalion during World War II and who started his military career at West Point, graduating in 1933 as a second lieutenant. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Darby served gallantly leading many Ranger unit’s in battle throughout World War II until April of 1945 when a German shell exploded near Darby’s location and minutes later, Darby passed away. After his heroic death, Darby was promoted to brigadier general on May 15, 1945. Learn More

Listen as Shawn discusses how Special Operations Soldiers live by a creed – committed to professional excellence, their teammates and the mission; though they be the lone survivor.

Shawn will share incredible stories of the evolution of DWS over the course of a 20-year war and some of their inspirational participants as the organization lives up to a phrase borrowed from the Ranger Creed - “Never shall I fail my comrades.” To understand what makes these Special Operations Heroes unique is to understand the uniqueness and importance of DWS mission.