Colonel Michael Shanahan

Colonel (COL) Michael K. Shanahan was born 11 November 1946 in Paw Paw, Michigan and grew up in Marcellus, Michigan. He commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Military Police Corps and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. His military education includes the Military Police Officer Basic Course, the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the U.S. Army Command and Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.

COL Shanahan's command assignments include the 84th Military Police Detachment, Fort Wolters, Texas; the 17th Data Processing Unit, 3rd Support Command, USAREUR; and the 519th Military Police Battalion, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Key staff assignments include Assistant Chief, Chief Military Police Subject Committee, 4th Advanced Individual Training Brigade, Fort Gordon, Georgia; Platoon Leader, E Company, S-3, 716th Military Police Battalion, Vietnam; Commander, Leadership Team, U.S. Army Retraining Brigade, Fort Riley, Kansas; Provost Marshal, Fort Wolters, Texas; Chief, Deserter Information Point, Chief, Absentee and Deserter Division, U.S. Army Enlisted Records and Evaluation Center, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana; Data Systems Officer, 3rd Support Command, USAREUR; S-3 and Executive Officer, 519th Military Police Battalion, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland; Chief, Systems Integrations Division, Executive Officer, Personnel Information Systems Command, Alexandria, Virginia; and Provost Marshal, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

His combat tours include Vietnam where he served as a Platoon Leader and Battalion S-3. Panama where he served as a Battalion Commander and Southwest Asia where he also served as a Battalion Commander.

COL Shanahan's decorations include the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; the Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters; and the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.

COL Shanahan is married to the former Patricia Moore of Marcellus, Michigan. They have two children, a daughter Kelly, who lives in Ferndale, Michigan with her husband Mr. Michael Geralds, and a son Sean.