November 2023

Veteran of the Month, November 2023

Yeoman-Seaman Shontell N. Saunders-Murphy

Yeoman-Seaman Shontell N. Saunders-Murphy was born and raised in Detroit, MI. Shontell joined the U.S. Navy in 1993 and received an honorable discharge in 1995. Unfortunately, Shontell was forced to end her military career prematurely when her newborn daughter was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Beta Thalassemia. Since Shontell was a single mom at the time, she was forced to make the decision to be honorably discharged to educate herself about her daughter’s diagnosis.

 Shontell attended boot camp in Orlando, FL in 1993 and served as Head Master at Arms while in boot camp and while in Yeoman training school. Shontell became the Yeoman to the Captain and the XO (Executive Officer) of the Recruit Training Command in Orlando, FL which was also her first duty station.

 Shontell holds an Associate degree from the University of Phoenix in Business and a dual Bachelor’s in Business Administration/Healthcare Management from Central Christian College in Kansas. This educational experience led Shontell to land an opportunity to work for United Healthcare as a Network Contract Manager negotiating Physician Contracts from cradle to grave for the Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VACCN)

Shontell has 3 daughters ages 28, 22, and 19. Two granddaughters ages 5, and 2.5, and two grandsons ages 8 and 6 months.   

Shontell proudly serves as the Public Relations Officer for AMVETS Department of Georgia and AMVETS POST 9-1-1 in Southwest Atlanta. Shontell’s passion is advocating for veterans and their families and others in need in the community.

 In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, volunteering to help veterans in the community, traveling, and building her Real Estate and E-commerce empire.