Shannon Hailes


Shannon Hailes joins the Freeman Holdings Group with over 30 years of military service.  Retired in June 2022 as a Colonel in the USAFR – he comes from a long history of family who served in the military and moved around the world with his parents, but considers Mississippi home.

Shannon was commissioned in the United States Air Force in 1991 through the ROTC program and has held numerous command and key staff positions during his military career.  Shannon is currently the Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer to the state of Mississippi representing the Air Force in support of Civil Authorities.  Positions held include Squadron Commander, Director of Operations for Air Operations Centers, Wing Chief of Safety, Group Chief of Training, and Chief Pilot.

Shannon’s most recent aviation experience had him flying with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Hurricane Hunters) where he amassed more than 100 hurricane penetrations.  He has flown into Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Sandy, Harvey, and Maria. Shannon’s combat experience includes deployments in support of Operations Volant Shogun, Joint Task Force Full Accounting, Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Noble Eagle, Deliberate Forge, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Shannon has over 5000 hours of flight time – almost all in different versions of the C-130. 

Shannon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Business Administration degree from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.