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Service Then
With over 22 years of service, I have completed two tours in Iraq and two peace-keeping missions—one in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the other in Kosovo. My home stations included Fort Hood, TX; Fort Campbell, KY; Darmstadt, Germany; Edgewood Arsenal, MD; Fort Bragg, NC; Schofield Barracks, HI; and Fort Lee, VA. I was an enlisted soldier from 1996 to 2003 and went from an E-2 to an E-6 (Staff Sergeant). During that time, I served as an avionics radar repairman. I was responsible for the maintenance and readiness of all rotary wing aircraft survivability equipment. Some of the equipment I maintained included infrared, heat-seeking countermeasures, night vision systems, navigation systems, and many other avionic systems.
While serving in Iraq in 2003, I was selected to become a Warrant Officer (WO). As an Electronic Systems Maintenance Warrant Officer (948B), my role and responsibilities expanded from avionics to all electronics and communication systems across the Army. As a WO, I was privileged to serve in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC); Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command; and various Signal and Communications Commands.
My final assignment allowed me to serve as a Capability Developer (CAPDEV) in the Integrated Logistics Support Division at the Sustainment Center of Excellence at Fort Lee. As a CAPDEV, I worked closely with the acquisition community and materiel developers to ensure logistics supportability and logistics readiness for fielding Army combat systems. I assessed Joint Capabilities Integration Development System documents to identify requirements in training, force structure, and equipment supportability. I worked with program offices to develop life cycle support strategies and maintenance support plans and participated in numerous logistics demonstrations and technical manual verifications.
I retired from active duty on 31 March 2019 as a Chief Warrant Officer Four (CW4), with 22 years and 9 months of honorable service. During that time, I completed my bachelor’s in cybersecurity policies and master’s in cybersecurity technologies.
Army Active-Duty Service
June–August 1996
Basic Training, Fort Jackson, SC
August–March 1997
Advanced Individual Training, Fort Gordon, GA
March 1997–July 2000
1st Cavalry Division
Avionics Radar Repairman, Fort Hood, TX
September 1998─March 1999
Lead Technician, Rotary Wing Avionics
Bosnia-Herzegovina Stabilization Force North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) support
August 2000─June 2004
101st Airborne Division
Maintenance Supervisor for Rotary Wing Avionics, Fort Campbell, KY
May 2001─November 2001
Maintenance Supervisor for Rotary Wing Avionics
Kosovo NATO support
March─May 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom
July─September 2003
WO Candidate School, Fort Rucker, AL
September–December 2003
WO Basic Course, Red Stone, AL
January–March 2004
WO Technical Training, Fort Gordon, GA
June 2004─July 2007
Battalion Electronic Systems Maintenance WO
32nd Signal Battalion, 22 Signal Brigade
Darmstadt, Germany, Kelly Barracks
October 2005–September 2006
Battalion Electronic System Maintenance WO
32nd Signal Battalion, 22 Signal Brigade
2nd Tour in Iraq
August 2007–December 2010
Senior Electronics Systems Maintenance WO
20th CBRNE Command, G-4
Edgewood Arsenal/Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
January 2011–May 2013
Brigade Electronic Systems Maintenance WO
95th Civil Affairs Brigade, USASOC
Fort Bragg, NC
May 2013–June 2015
Division Electronic Systems Maintenance WO
25th Infantry Division, G-6
Scofield Barracks, HI
July 2015–December 2018
Senior Capabilities Developer
Combined Arms Support Command
Fort Lee, VA
Retired March 31, 2019
SURVICE Now
As a cybersecurity test and evaluator for Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) at SURVICE’s Aberdeen Area Operation, Kelvin provides cybersecurity test and evaluation for programs in support of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Survivability Evaluation Directorate and conducts operational assessments to provide independent early assessment of the operational effectiveness and suitability of DCO systems.

Service Then
Shawn Nelson began his Army career as a UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter repairer, Private First Class, and flew his first combat mission as a Crew Chief during Operation Just Cause, where he earned his first Air Medal. He supported operations in Central America, Germany, Cyprus, Savanna Georgia, Thailand, and Venezuela.
Upon completing flight school at Fort Rucker, AL, he piloted the TH-67, OH-58A/C, and UH-60L and deployed to support the Stabilization Force 11 in Bosnia, where he flew Blackhawk air assault operations as Pilot-in-Command.
Nelson’s most satisfying mission was with MEDEVAC, where he served in Iraq as an UH-60L Instructor Pilot (IP). As part of the 54th MEDEVAC Company, he transported over 360 soldiers, civilians, and prisoners, earning him another Air Medal and seven more combat patches.
Asked directly by U.S. Department of the Army headquarters, CW3 Nelson became one of seven MQ-1 Warrior-A UAS Warrant Officer IPs Army wide. As a standardization and maintenance pilot, he supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, providing reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition support to joint service/forces operations. He wrote the Army’s MQ-1 Aircrew Training Manual and retired as the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion, Medium Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Standardization Officer.
Army Active-Duty Service
1989
Entered service
1989-1994
Panama/Just Cause
1994-1997
Germany/Cyprus
1999-2000
Fort Rucker, AL /Flight school
2000-2003
Hawaii/Bosnia
2003-2005
Germany/Iraq OIF
2007-2008
Fort Huachuca, AZ/Afghanistan OEF
Retired 2011
SURVICE Now
Shawn is a program manager with SURVICE Engineering, where he has worked a maintenance modernization project for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He is currently working on a counter-UAS program for the U.S. Special Operations Command.
