WMU ROTC Wall of Fame Award

COL Arieyeh Austin, B.A.’97

United States Army

 

Colonel Arieyeh Austin is a 1997 distinguished military graduate of Western Michigan University where he commissioned in the infantry and received a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis in history. He has also received a master’s degree in human resource management and administration from Central Michigan University and another master’s degree in operational art and strategy from the School of Advanced Military Studies in Leavenworth, Kansas. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, the Combined Arms Staff and Services School, the Infantry Officer Advanced and Basic courses, and the Mechanized Leaders Course, and has earned the U.S. Army Ranger Tab, Airborne badge and Air Assault badge. 

Colonel Austin’s first duty assignment was at Fort Drum, New York, where he was assigned to the 1^st Battalion, 87^th Infantry Regiment, 10^th Mountain Division as a Rifle Platoon Leader and then subsequently as the Reconnaissance & Scout Platoon Leader. Upon completion of his duties there, he was assigned as the Company Executive Officer for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, as well as the Assistant Operations Officer. During that time, he deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Forge as a component of the NATO Stabilization Force.

Following this deployment, he attended and graduated from the Infantry Captains Career Course, and then was assigned to the 2^nd Infantry Division within the Republic of Korea where he served as a Division G3 Current Operations Officer at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea. He was then assigned to 5^th Battalion, 20^th Infantry Regiment (Stryker), 3^rd Brigade Combat Team, in Fort Lewis, Washington. While there, he served as the Battalion Plans Officer and subsequently assumed Command of C Company, 52 Infantry Regiment (Stryker). The Brigade became the first operationally deployed Stryker Brigade Combat Team in history in 2003 when they deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During operations within Iraq, Colonel Austin and the 3^rd Brigade Combat Team spearheaded the assault and under heavy resistance assisted in seizing the cities of Samara, Mosul and Tal Afar. Following the deployment to Iraq, Colonel Austin was selected to serve as the Aide De Camp for the Deputy Commanding General, First Corps, Ft. Lewis, Washington.

Upon completion of these duties, Colonel Austin moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was assigned to the Mission Command Training Program (MCTP). While there he served as the Chief of Exercise Control, where he planned, coordinated and synchronized the development of the Armies War Fighter Exercises at the Army Division, Corps, and Army Service Component Command Level. He then attended and graduated from the Command and General Staff College and subsequently was assigned to 3^rd Brigade, 10^th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York, as the Brigade Plans Offices, and then to the 2^nd Battalion, 87^th Infantry Regiment where he served as both the Operations and Executive Officer. During that assignment, the Brigade Combat Team deployed to Regional Command South, Afghanistan, where it successfully neutralized enemy activity prior to transitioning operations to Afghan Forces in support of national elections and the drawdown of U.S. Forces.

Upon redeployment COL Austin attended the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and then was assigned as the Deputy Combined Joint J-5 in the 101^st Airborne (Air Assault) Division to Combined Joint Task Force-101 (CJTF-101) in Regional Command East, Afghanistan. He continued in this position until assigned as the CJ5 and then G5 upon redeployment. Upon completion, Colonel Austin was assigned to U.S. Army Cadet Command, where he served as the Professor of Military Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama. Following this, he assumed command of the 1^st Battalion, 310^th Infantry Regiment, 181^st Infantry Brigade at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. He relinquished command two years later and assumed a position at the Mission Command Training Program, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he currently is assigned to Operations Group A. His latest endeavor recently had him assigned to Operation Afghan Refuge, where he was the lead planner for Task Force Eagle, coordinating with Joint, Multi-National, and Interagency organizations to assist in the evacuation of our Afghan Special Visa Immigrants from Afghanistan.

During Colonel Austin’s continued 25 years of service, he has had five overseas deployments. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star (2 Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (3 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (7 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal (4 Oak Leaf Cluster), The Expert Infantry Badge, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Ranger Tab, Army Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.