MICHAEL A. BAUMANN

Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army, Retired) Baumann hails from Olivia, Minnesota and is a 1980 graduate of Thomas Jefferson Senior High School in Bloomington, MN. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Minnesota. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in September 1985, he has served in Army units in the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. He is a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science Degree in Education Administration from Texas A&M University. He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advance Course, the Combined Services Staff Officer Course, and the Army Command and General Staff College. He has served in various command and staff positions at all echelons in the Army.

His first assignment in 1986 was in the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, he served as Communications Platoon Leader, Company Fire Support Officer, Battery Fire Direction Officer and Battery Executive Officer. Baumann also graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School while serving with the 101st. Following his assignment at Fort Campbell he attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia and then went to Nuremburg, Germany where he served in the First Armor Division. Eighteen months later Baumann moved as part of the brigade he was assigned with to Vilseck, Germany and served in the Third Infantry Division. While assigned to 6-1 Field Artillery, Colonel Baumann served as a Battalion Fire Support Officer for 1-6 Infantry, the Battalion Adjutant, Battalion Maintenance Officer, and Battery Commander of B Battery. Upon completion of duty in Germany he was selected to be an ROTC instructor at Texas A&M University where he taught and prepared cadets to become Army officers and earned a Master's Degree. In 1996 Colonel Baumann was assigned to Washington D.C. where he served as an evaluator for the Army Operations Test and Evaluation Command for seven months and then he was reassigned as Officer Professional Development Program Manager at the Army Human Resources Command. Selected for attendance at the Army Command and General Staff College, Colonel Baumann went to Fort Leavenworth for one year to study higher level Army staff and tactical operations direction. In 1999 he was reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he served as the S3, Operations Officer and the Battalion Executive Officer for 1-77 Field Artillery. In 2001 he was named to be the Brigade Executive Officer for 75th Field Artillery Brigade. Six months later he was selected to command a Field Artillery Battalion in the First Cavalry Division and in the summer of 2002 was sent to Fort Hood, Texas. Before taking command, Colonel Baumann was assigned to III Corps, G3 Operations section where he served as Chief, Current Operations Corps G3 and then selected to serve on Joint Task Force Southwest Asia in Saudi Arabia as the Ground Director to U.S. Air Force Central Command operating from the Combat Air Operations Center at Prince Sultan Air Base. While in that position, Colonel Baumann managed reporting of operations information to the U.S. Air Force Central Command Commanding General on all U.S. ground forces operating in Afghanistan . Returning from Saudi Arabia , he assumed command of 1-21 Field Artillery in First Cavalry Division. He prepared and deployed the battalion to Iraq and served a combat tour there from March 2004 to March 2005. He returned to Fort Hood and relinquished command of 1-21 Field Artillery in July 2005 and retired from the Army in October 2005. Today he is District Business and Finance Controller for Saint Paul Public Schools and he lives with his family in Lakeville, Minnesota.

His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), the Joint Services Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (three awards), the Iraq Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (two awards), the Ranger Tab, the Parachutists Badge, the Air Assault Badge and the Jungle Expert Badge.

Baumann is the Minnesota State Chairman of Vets for Freedom. He is the author of the book Adjust Fire: Transforming to Win in Iraq.