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Our friend <em>Jennifer Jill Shafer-Odom </em>was raised in the small town of Knoxville, MD and spent her childhood on the family’s dairy farm, where her love for God’s creation was ignited. She came from a deeply religious family that, for generations, had attended First Baptist Church in Brunswick, MD. Everyone loved this bright girl with a quiet, strong spirit. Throughout her early life, her parents, John and Janie, along with her grandparents, imbued in Jennifer all of the spiritual, mental, and physical requisites to one day successfully lead in our nation’s Army. It was the stories shared by her maternal grandmother, Rita Webber—about the role that the service played in making her grandfather, a World War II veteran, a better person—that first inspired Jennifer to serve her country.</p>
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Jennifer attended Brunswick High School, where she excelled in sports, academics, and theater. In high school, Jennifer was a shining star among her peers and graduated as valedictorian. If being raised in a hardworking Christian family taught her one thing, it was that she could achieve “anything through Christ who strengthened (her).” Seeking an opportunity to do something honorable and to serve as a positive role model for her younger brother, Wes, she proudly became a member of the Long Gray Line.</p>
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From her first day at Beast Barracks, she excelled in every area of cadet life. Upperclassmen remember her as quiet, efficient, and “squared-away” (a term reserved for few plebes in 1st Regiment). Jennifer was assigned to H-1 and was selected to participate on the company Sandhurst team. Jennifer was an active member of Baptist Student Union and the West Point Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School. “Jennifer was harder to get to know than some people, but once you broke through the stoic exterior and got to know her, it was easy to love the kind-hearted, selfless, and funny person that she was. Not a woman of many words, Jennifer had an amazing sense of humor, and she was loyal…almost to a fault.” One Christmas, Jennifer presented her roommates with a set of novelty reindeer antlers and tank tops. Although not approved uniform attire, the gift recipients thoroughly enjoyed being rebels with the “unauthorized” shirts secretly hidden beneath their uniforms.</p>
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Jennifer was admired for her work ethic. “Her strong faith and belief system is what gave her strength. Jennifer believed she was doing what God wanted her to do. She believed West Point was her calling.” One of Jennifer’s favorite scriptures was Proverbs 3:6, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” This verse was also her Grandfather Webber’s favorite, helping him get through a long four years during World War II.</p>
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Upon graduating from West Point on May 30, 1992 with a degree in political science, Jennifer was commissioned as a second lieutenant and relocated to Fort Rucker, AL for the Aviation Officer Basic Course and flight school.</p>
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Jennifer married Lieutenant Colonel Charles Odom in July 1992. They shared a love of aviation and filled their home with Coca Cola memorabilia and cuckoo clocks. Her first duty assignment was U.S. Army European Command Flight Detachment in Stuttgart, Germany, where she distinguished herself flying the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on more than 100 missions in 40 countries. Her love of the theater was still very important in her life. She had the opportunity to participate as the Wicked Witch in the production of <em>The Wizard of Oz</em>, a big hit with the local German theatre goers.</p>
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In 1995, Jennifer was selected to attend the Fixed Wing Qualification Course and then returned to Germany, where she flew the C-12 on relief missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and throughout Europe. In 1997 she completed Military Intelligence Training Officers Advanced Course at Fort Huachuca, AZ, where she and her husband also enjoyed riding “his and hers” Harley Davidsons in the desert. Following her transition to the RC-7 Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL), a modified DeHavilland 7 fixed-wing aircraft, Jennifer was assigned to United States Army South in Panama in counterdrug intelligence. In 1999, Jennifer was assigned to D Company, 204th Military Intelligence Battalion as executive officer. She was scheduled to assume command of D Company in August 1999.</p>
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Tragically, Captain Jennifer Shafer-Odom’s military career ended in the Putumayo Province in southwestern Colombia on July 23, 1999 at the young age of 29. Flying an Army reconnaissance plane on a dangerous counterdrug intelligence mission, her plane crashed into a mountainside. “Jen was very well-respected in her units. She was known for being meticulous and precise, for being an excellent pilot, and for treating people well. She had the respect and confidence of her warrant officers, and they are hard people to impress.”</p>
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Jennifer treasured her West Point ring. It was a constant reminder of the sacrifices that she made as a cadet and the tenets of Duty, Honor, Country. Jennifer’s family graciously donated her ring to the Cadet Library West Point Ring Collection, where it remains on display.</p>
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Jennifer’s mother and father are proud and grateful that she was able to fulfill her dreams of graduating from West Point and serving her country faithfully. She lived an honorable and dignified life, a proud legacy for her family. She was indeed blessed with a great love of her family, her country, and the Lord Jesus Christ.</p>
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<em>— Classmates and friends</em></p>