Pvt. Shannon Spence

Pvt. Shannon Spence completed her basic training in the U.S. Army in May 2009 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. She also completed extensive physical and combat training and advanced training as a heavy equipment mechanic at Fort Leonard Wood. She was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, in October 2009 with the 20th Engineer Battalion and deployed to Afghanistan on Jan. 20 of this year. Spence is the daughter of Linda and Dennis Utley of Chiloquin and Tracy Spence of Bakersfield, Calif., and the mother of Darrien Utley, 9, and Mikayla Spence, 5, of Chiloquin.