Lt. Col. Vonjia L. Shannon ’84 USAR (Ret.)
“God ordered my steps into the military,” reflects Vonjia Shannon ’84, who retired after 29 years in the U.S. Army. The former Panther basketball player and accounting major has served as a company commander, battalion commander, and deputy director G1 in a career that has taken her to Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea.
“It was my opportunity to reach many individuals, giving guidance spiritually, financially, and professionally,” she said in retrospect. “It’s a great feeling when I run across someone I’ve led, and they tell me how I helped them. [It’s] nothing but God!”
Here is how “calling” unfolded in Vonjia’s experience.
"First, let me start by saying I NEVER had any inkling of joining the military. For one my, Dad wanted me to join after high school, but what teenager goes along with what their parents want? Also, the military wasn’t a part of my long-term goals to become an accountant and take the business world by storm and rise to the top of a corporate ladder."
Vonjia majored in accounting at GU (then GC), and afterward took a job with a CPA firm. Her goals were being realized...until they downsized!
"In September of 1986, I was out of a job, living at home and job-hunting. But, I was determined not to take just any job; it needed to flow with my goals. Meanwhile, my cousin had just started a new position with the Army as a recruiter for the Reserves. He asked if he could use my name and information just to meet his quota. I was not obligated to do anything, so I agreed, and that’s when it started."
The army asked if I would take the ASVAB, and, not doing anything else during the day (still not working) I decide to take the test. I scored very high. By mid-October, a sergeant was calling me nonstop, bugging me about joining. I put him off, but all the while, I had this nagging thought that it might not be so bad . . . So, I came up with these ridiculous requirements that the Army would have to meet for me to join: (1) I had to be an officer, (2) all training had to be completed within one year (I still had a career to pursue), and (3) every detail of the agreement had to be in writing."
Surprisingly, the army accommodated all of Vonjia's requests. She went to basic training at Ft Dix, NJ, then to Officer Candidate School at Ft Benning, GA. After receiving a commission as a second lieutenant, Vonjia went on to her Officer Basic Course at Ft Benjamin Harrison, IN.
"Through my 29 years of service, and obtaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, I came to the conclusion that God ordered my steps into the military. My service allowed me to share my gifts with people whom I would never have met were it not for the military. Today I am still in contact with those I’ve met from basic training, Iraq, Korea, and units in between. My life is enriched because of the military."
As for supporting students at GU in their plan to follow God's path:
"I’ve come to understand that God gives us the choice to step off the path. For me, when I am following God’s plan, I get a déjà vu vibe, which lets me know a move is right. Throughout my military career, I experienced that vibe, which is what kept me in."
