Hiding the Truth
Ihrke had a secret, but she finally opened up about it all in 2019 when she gave an interview to Inside Edition. She revealed that she grew up in a small town and thought she was a boy for her first 10 years of life. She had no military aspirations at that time, though.
Out of High School
Shannon didn’t know what she wanted to do after graduating from high school. College seemed like the most obvious step, but there was no determination or plan for her life afterward. However, she knew she was tired of going to school and working two jobs.