Episode 36 – Jody Shouse — From Mogadishu to the Old Guard: A Career of Airborne Leadership

Jody Shouse — From Mogadishu to the Old Guard: A Career of Airborne Leadership In this episode, I sit down with Jody Shouse — a former commander of mine, mentor, and career Army officer whose path through the military spans airborne operations, Somalia, and multiple assignments with the historic 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard. Jody’s story begins in 1988 when, fresh out of high school and unsure of his direction, he walked into an Army recruiting office looking for opportunity. What started as an enlistment as an Airborne Military Police soldier quickly turned into a career defined by leadership, service, and some incredible assignments around the world . One of the defining moments in his career came during operations in Mogadishu, Somalia, where he faced a decision that would ultimately shape the rest of his time in uniform — choosing loyalty to his soldiers over a set of orders that would pull him away from his squad . In this conversation we talk about: • Joining the Army in the late 1980s and becoming an Airborne MP • Deploying to Somalia and serving during the Mogadishu operations • The leadership decisions that define a career • The realities of loyalty and responsibility as an NCO and officer • Serving in the prestigious 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) • Command experiences and lessons learned over a long military career • Mentorship, leadership, and what it means to serve the soldiers beside you Jody’s story is a powerful reminder that military careers are rarely linear — and that the most important decisions leaders make often come down to people, not orders. This episode is about service, leadership, loyalty, and the long road of a soldier’s career. The post Episode 36 – Jody Shouse — From Mogadishu to the Old Guard: A Career of Airborne Leadership first appeared on Womack C3.