Michael A. Mineni

Commanding Officer

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

4th Infantry Division

December 10, 2013 - March 17, 2014

On December 10, 2013 Lieutenant Colonel Michael Mineni assumed command of 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry.
With the de-activation of 1-22 Infantry in March of 2014, LTC Mineni may well become the last Commander
of 1st Battalion.

LTC Mineni began his military career enlisting in the Army in 1988. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant
prior to attending Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. Commissioning in 1997. His first assignment
was with the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment in Ft. Polk, LA. There he served as a Scout Platoon Leader
and Squadron Maintenance Officer in 1st Squadron.

Following attendance at the Armor Officers Advanced Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 2001, he was assigned
as the Assistant S3 and Air Direction Officer for 1st Squadron, 11th ACR (OPFOR) at Ft. Irwin, CA. In 2003,
LTC Mineni commanded C Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th ACR and in 2004 he Commanded HHT, 1st Squadron, 11th ACR.

In 2005 LTC Mineni served as the Multi-National Force Northwest Assistant Operations Officer, Mosul, Iraq (OIF III).
After returning from OIF III in the Summer of 2006 he served as the Aide-de-Camp for the Commanding General,
US Army Security Assistance Command. In 2008, LTC Mineni attended Command and General Staff College in
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Following graduation, he served as the 2nd Squadron, 2d STRYKER Regiment
Executive officer in Vilseck, Germany. In 2009, he became the Regimental S3 for 2d STRYKER Regiment in Vilseck,
Germany, and deployed to Zabul, Afghanistan. Following his time with 2d STRYKER Regiment, LTC Mineni served
as the Counter-terrorism Programs Branch Chief for Special Operations Command- AFRICA in Stuttgart, Germany.

LTC Mineni holds a Bachelor of Arts in General Social Science from Northwestern State University and a Master of Science
in Strategic Leadership from Central Michigan University, His awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star (2); Defense
Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal (3); Army Commendation Medal (7); Army Achievement Medal (7);
Meritorious Unit Citation (2); Afghanistan Campaign Medal; NATO Medal (1); Global War on Terror Expeditionary
and Service Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal (2); the Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and the Pathfinder Badge.

LTC Mineni receives the 1st Battalion Colors from CSM Timothy Edwards
at Fort Carson December 10, 2013

On July 10, 2008, Michael Mineni, then a Major, gave an interview for the Combat Studies Institute
at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The following is the abstract of that interview:

Major Michael Mineni served as an operations officer for Multinational Force-Northwest and as
the liaison officer to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq in Irbil Province in the
Mosul area from January 2005 through January 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In
this interview, he talks about switching from being a troop commander in the 11th Armored
Cavalry Regiment to a corps-level staff officer, the waste of the individual predeployment tasks
and the lack of negotiation training, how the State Department needs to develop an
expeditionary capability, and how he had to handle all aspects of the election preparations.
Mineni also discusses the magnificent interpreter he was assigned, the difficulties of voter
registration without an accurate census, how he regrets not engaging with the media more to
help with election-related issues, and how paying attention in high school civics class was the
best preparation for dealing with another country’s elections. He closes the interview by stating
that he disagrees with placing responsibility for leadership development on the individual and
that there is no program design for Army leader development.

To read the full interview, click on the following link. (The link is a PDF file.To return to this page
hit the back arrow in the upper left corner of the file.)

Major Michael Mineni Interview

LTC Mick Mineni at Fort Carson

Michael Mineni's decorations

Lieutenant Colonel Michael "Mick" Mineni is an accomplished hockey player.
He played for the Championship Fort Leavenworth Ice Hockey Team, The Dragoons, in 2009
while attending the Command & General Staff College. Most recently, he played for the Bayern Rangers.

Introducing the Bayern Rangers

Military Hockey News

The Bayern Rangers ice hockey team was formed in the fall of 2009 by LTC
(ret) Brad Huestis. Heustis had previously played for the Baden Bruins in Mannhiem, Germany,
prior to his retirement from the U.S. Army.

As a newly arrived DA civilian at 7AJMTC in Grafenwoehr, Heustis was surprised to learn that there was not an ice hockey team
representing the U.S. military communities in Northern Bavaria. Following the lead of Ken Robinson, GM of the Baden Bruins,
Colonel Huestis spread the word about the Baden Bruins and the annual international military tournament sponsored by USAFE
in Garmisch. To his surpise, thirty-three players responded to announcements that had been posted in the local military media
outlets, seeking military ice hockey players.

Following try-outs, a competitive team comprised of DoD ID card holders over the age of 18 was formed to represent the
U.S. forces in Bavaria at the 18th annual USAFE military tournament in Garmisch. In preparation, the team practiced at the rink
in Amberg (Am Schanzl 1, 92224 Amberg) and played friendly matches against local German teams in Amberg and in Pegnitz
(Badstraße 1, 91257 Pegnitz).

Seventeen players would then travel to Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany, to represent the U.S. Army in Bavaria
at thev18th annual USAFE tournament:

Mr. Kraig Hays (A) 4
1LT Vicente Lynch 5
CPT Adam Sperry (C) 11
SPC James Hathaway 13
2LT Collin Melton 16
CPT Chris Glascott 17
SPC Josh Young 18
PVT Josh Cloonan 19
LTC (ret) Mike Lehto 21
LTC (ret) Brad Huestis (A) 22
SSG Carl Wermter 26
MAJ Mick Mineni 28
2LT Mark Osmack (G) 30
SSG Chris Sheehan 33
SGT Joel Celona 92
CPT Matt Donofrio 93

In their first tournament appearance, the Bayern Rangers finished one goal short of a bronze medal, losing to the Aviano Eagles
after qualifying for the medal round by winning two of three games in qualification round play -- beating the SHAPE Shields
and Bitburg Bears, and losing to the defending champions, the KMC Eagles. One Bayern Ranger forward, SSG Chris Sheehan,
and the Bayern Ranger goalie, 2LT Mark Osmack, were named to the all-tournament team. The top four teams were:

1. Ramstein (KMC) Eagles
2. Geilenkirchen Flyers (Canada)
3. Aviano Eagles
4. Bayern Rangers

From the Army Air Force Adler website

The Bayern Rangers
MAJ Mick Mineni is standing, 3rd from left

In January 2011, the Bayern Rangers finished third in the U.S. Forces Ice Hockey Championship tournament
at Garmisch’s Olympic Stadium. Michael "Mick" Mineni played on that team.

Photo from the Stars and Stripes

Biography of Michael Mineni from the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society Newsletter Issue 01-14

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