Dragons and Ford Present Honor Them Program

Dayton, Ohio - All season long, the Dayton Area Ford Dealers will be honoring Miami Valley veterans and telling their service stories at Dayton Dragons games. Please join us on Sunday, July 27 as they recognize local veteran Shawn Brunello.

Veteran Shawn Brunello's Story

Dayton native Shawn Brunello has spent nearly half of his life in the U.S. Marines. From mapping convoy routes between bases and criminal investigation to escorting entertainers, Brunello, now a Chief Warrant Officer, has served in many ways while deployed.

Brunello joined the Marines after high school, following his twin brother into the service. He was first deployed to Iraq in 2003 and again in 2005. In 2011, Brunello was deployed to Afghanistan and worked as a convoy commander. He facilitated the transport of food and equipment from a primary base to outlying bases. Every couple weeks, he would map out the routes for convoys which could include from 20 up to 270 vehicles. The destinations never changed, but the road they traveled always had to be different to avoid enemy detection and ensure as safe of a passage as possible.

One of the biggest changes Brunello found across his earlier deployments was communication, both with his family and with the vehicles in the convoys. During his early deployments in Iraq, his convoys had to rely on maps and two-way radio to communicate as they drove across the Iraqi deserts. While from a personal standpoint, he was only able to call home every couple of weeks.

By his 2011 deployment to Afghanistan, technology had progressed enough where he was able to talk to his family every day and could track vehicle convoys, as well as enemy locations through satellites.

Brunello currently lives in Washington Township with his family and is a system engineer for LexisNexis. He is still part of the Marine Reserves, and commits one weekend a month to his service, training and teach other Marines.

More Information: The Dayton Dragons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and play a 70-game home schedule at beautiful Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton, easily accessible from Interstate 75. Individuals and groups seeking information about Dayton Dragons group tickets, lawn tickets, the season ticket wait list, sponsorship opportunities or booking a Dragons speaker are encouraged to contact the Dragons by calling (937) 228-2287, by email at [email protected], or on the web at daytondragons.com.