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Local Veterans Day Ceremony features Charleston native, West point grad
SIKESTON — Two-star Major General Jami C. Shawley, who is a 1988 graduate of Charleston, Missouri, High School and a 1992 graduate of the United States Military Academy West Point, will serve as the speaker at the annual Sikeston Veterans Day Ceremony.
Set to begin at at 9:15 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11 at the Sikeston Field House, doors will open at 8:15 a.m. According to Sikeston Public Schools, visitors will check into the district’s new Raptor visitor management system in the Field House lobby. The new Raptor visitor management system runs instant background checks on visitors and is a vital piece in ensuring student safety, the district said in a news release. Visitors will need a government-issued photo ID to check in, and weapon detectors will be in use.
Members of the Sikeston Veterans Park Committee will participate in the ceremony, and the Sikeston High School band, choir and orchestra will perform. The Sikeston Department of Public Safety will present the Colors and perform the gun salute. After the service, the American Legion Auxiliary will provide lunch for veterans and their families at the Legion Post on South Kingshighway starting at 11 a.m.
Shawley is the staff director for strategic integration and is currently serving as the Joint Staff J5 staff director for strategic initiatives. She was commissioned into aviation through the United States Military Academy in 1992. She began her career flying AH-1 helicopters in the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and served at company, battalion and brigade level staff positions in the 2nd Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Division in Savannah, Georgia. She commanded a company in the 224th Military Intelligence (Aerial Exploitation) Battalion, conducting fixed wing ISR missions.
Shawley transitioned to the Army Reserve and re-entered active duty as an Active Guard Reserve officer in 2006. She served in the 244th Aviation Brigade, at Human Resources Command, on staff in Headquarters, Department of the Army, deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and commanded the 2-228th Aviation Regiment as it supported simultaneous split rotations in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan and provided sustained airlift support to Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South throughout the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
Shawley served as the military adviser to the Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism and as a senior crisis operations and policy officer for the bureau then served as the assistant deputy director in the Joint Staff Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate (J5)-Africa. As a general officer, she has commanded the Army Reserve Aviation Command, the 81st Readiness Division and the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa in Djibouti, Africa.
Shawley completed the Army Aviation Basic Course and flight school, the Army Engineer Advanced Course, National War College and numerous other schools appropriate to her experience and time in service. She has two master’s degrees and holds a number of awards and badges to include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Senior Aviator Badge.