WMU ROTC Wall of Fame Award

Retired COL Kathryn Prater, B.A.’03

Michigan Army National Guard

Colonel (R) Kathryn A. Prater’s military career began as a cadet in Western Michigan University’s ROTC program, spanning over two decades of service and concluding with her role as the director of operations and training for the Michigan National Guard. In this senior leadership position, she directed a wide portfolio of programs, including security and intelligence, state partnership and security cooperation initiatives, emergency management, domestic operations, operational planning and mobilization readiness. She was also responsible for leading professional development, managing the statewide training and operations budget and overseeing specialized mission sets such as the Counter-Drug program and Michigan’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team.

Colonel Prater earned the Master Army Aviator Badge, accumulating approximately 2,000 safe flying hours in the UH-60 Black Hawk. She is an instructor pilot and certified accident investigator. Her leadership experience includes numerous command and staff roles within the 3/238th General Support Aviation Battalion, culminating in her service as Battalion Commander from 2019 to 2022. She also served on the Joint Force Headquarters staff in key roles such as Strategic Planning Branch Chief and Deputy State Army Aviation Officer.

Her deployment experience includes serving in Kosovo as part of KFOR-7 (2005 to 2006) and in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (2010 to 2011). Colonel Prater’s career has been heavily focused on international partnerships; she has served as a guest instructor at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, graduated from the Comprehensive Security Cooperation Course at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and supported numerous missions to Latvia and Liberia as part of Michigan’s State Partnership Program.

Colonel Prater holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education.

In 2025, she retired from military service and now enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering as a youth volleyball coach.