[1] Shughart joined the United States Army while attending Big Spring High School in Newville, entering upon graduation in 1976.

On October 3, 1993, during an assault mission to apprehend advisors to the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a Black Hawk helicopter with the call sign Super Six-One was shot down in the city.

[3] Shughart, Gary Gordon, and Sergeant First Class Brad Halling had been providing sniper cover from the air from Black Hawk Super Six-Two.

[3] Mission commanders denied Gordon's request twice,[1] saying that the situation was too dangerous for the snipers to protect the crew from the ground.

[4] Armed with their sniper rifles and sidearms, Shughart and Gordon were inserted approximately 100 metres (330 ft) from the crash site and made their way to the downed Black Hawk.

Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant was already defending the aircraft with an MP5 but was unable to move from his chair due to injuries sustained in the crash.

After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission.

Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members.

Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position.

Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew.

Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him-self, his unit and the United States Army.In 1997, the Navy named roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Shughart (T-AKR-295) in a ceremony at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego.