Colonel Michael T. Katona

Colonel Michael T. Katona grew up in Rochester, Michigan and is a 1994 Distinguished Military Graduate of Western Michigan University.  He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry.  He holds a bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication from WMU, and a masters degree in Management from Webster University.  His first assignments after the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School were as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Anti-Tank Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer in the 1^st Battalion, 21^st Infantry, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 

Upon completion of the Infantry Officers Advanced Course, CAS3 and the Bradley Leaders Course, COL Katona served as the commander of Delta Company, later reflagged to Bravo Company, 1^st Battalion, 8^th Infantry at Ft. Carson, Colorado. He was then selected to serve in 3^rd Battalion, 75^th Ranger Regiment at Ft. Benning, Georgia.  He served as Battalion Adjutant and Personnel Officer (S1), and commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, deploying to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom II and IV and to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom I. 

Following graduation from the Command and General Staff College, he was assigned to Ft Lewis, Washington, as the Operations Officer (S3) of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), later reflagged as 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry (Stryker).  He served as the Brigade S3 of 4^th Brigade, 2^nd Infantry Division (Stryker), deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon leaving Ft Lewis, he served as a Joint Special Operations planner in J35 (Global Synchronization), U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. 

COL Katona then took command of the 4^th Squadron, 4^th Cavalry, 1^st Brigade, 1^st Infantry Division, Ft Riley, Kansas.  He deployed the Squadron to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, and led 4-4 CAV in counterinsurgency operations in the Arghandab River Valley while attached to 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain.  After Battalion Command, he served in the Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison, as the Deputy Chief of the House Liaison, and Senate Liaison Divisions on Capitol Hill. COL Katona recently served as the Strategy Division Chief, Office of the Chief, Army Legislative Liaison at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.  COL Katona is currently attending the Senior Service College at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

His military education includes Airborne School, Mountain Warfare School, Infantry Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, Ranger School, Air Assault School, Bradley Leaders Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Jumpmaster School, and the Command and General Staff College.   His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (three oak leaf clusters), Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (four oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with Valor and silver leaf cluster), Joint Service Achievement medal, and Army Achievement Medal (four oak leaf clusters).   He has earned the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge (with Combat Jump Star), Air Assault Badge and Thai and German Jump Wings.

He is married to Kathleen, and they have three daughters; Natalie, Ava, and Audrey.