A native of Ponca City, Oklahoma, he joined the U.S. Navy Dental Corps in August 1997, completing his residency program at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois and achieving the rank of lieutenant. From there he was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, where he served as both the dental division officer and medical triage officer and earned his surface warfare qualification.

When the Constellation was deployed to the Persian Gulf in late 2001 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Revels was among the crew, and in due course assisted with the liberation of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. For his contributions, he received a number of recognitions, including the Naval Achievement Medal for Outstanding Service, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, two Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medals, and an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

Shannon is originally from Cromwell and the son of a single mom. He enrolled in the Navy Reserve program while he was a junior in high school, as a means to go to college. Four days after his high school graduation, he left for boot camp. Although he considered all branches of the military, he ultimately decided the Navy was the best fit. Initially he trained to be a cryptologic technician in maintenance, planning on a career in engineering.

“My best friend in high school’s father was an engineer and an Army veteran who worked closely with AWAC planes out of Tinker Air Force Base,” he said. “My first trips to the ocean and the mountains were with his family. As such, I wanted to have that kind of life.”

After changing career paths and deciding to become an orthodontist, Shannon continued to serve for a total of eight years and completed his service at a rank of petty officer second class. “I was a reservist in dental school when the first gulf war began,” he said. “I would study at night while watching the smart bombs going off on TV. Each monthly weekend drill, I would see fewer people present for drill and more recalled to active duty. Although I never was called up, the emotions were very real.”

“My best memories were being underway at sea and the port visits in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bahrain, Australia and Hawaii,” Revels said. “My wife surprised me at Pearl Harbor upon our return from Iraq and seeing her again remains one of the best memories of my life. An AP photographer even captured it and published it on AOL!”

Whether they are hosting Wounded Warrior fundraisers, sending Girl Scout cookies to U.S. servicemen and women in the Middle East, or providing discounted orthodontic care for vets and their spouses, Revels and Shannon continue to assist their fellow veterans through their practice, Orthodontics Exclusively. (Interested veterans can contact the office at 321.2735 or at OrthoExc.com, and the practice offers virtual appointments.)

As with all veterans, both Revels and Shannon say that their time in the service was life-altering in every way. “The patriotism, fellowship and brotherhood that you feel in the military is unlike any you can imagine,” Shannon said. “Serving in the armed forces was an essential building block in my life. The military requires you to do your very best, and doing your very best, will never do wrong.”