Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dennis P. Donegan, Jr.
U.S. Army Special Forces Regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dennis P. Donnegan, Jr. was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry from Officer Candidate School in 1995 after enlisted service in the 2nd Infantry Division, 1st Ranger Battalion, 25th ID Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) and the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). His first assignment as an officer was with the 1st Battalion, 508th Airborne Battalion Combat Team (ABCT) in Vicenza, Italy where he served as an Airborne Rifle Platoon Leader, Heavy Weapons Platoon Leader and the Battalion S-3 Air Officer.
Following the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and the Special Operations Detachment Officer Qualification Course, Lieutenant Colonel Donegan served with the 1st Battalion, 10th SFG (A) in Stuttgart, Germany as the Commander of Special Forces Operational Detachment-ALPHA 013 where he was responsible for bringing numerous personnel indicted for war crimes (PIFWC) to justice in Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. Dennis also commanded what was called the “First Strike against Terrorism”, when he led his Detachment on a raid against known terrorists in Sarajevo which became known as the “Hollywood Hotel” raid; he also deployed his Detachment to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guard; and as Commander of Troop IV with the Regional Commander’s In-extremis Force (CIF). Following this assignment he served as the Aide de Camp to Major General Eldon Bargewell, the Senior US Military Advisor in the Netherlands and the J-3 at Allied Forces North; Brunssum, the Netherlands. Lieutenant Colonel Donegan then served with the 3rd Special Forces Group in Afghanistan and as the Executive Officer of B Co., 2nd BN, 3rd SFG (A) in Iraq and also as the acting forward company commander where he was responsible for helping in the formation of the Iraqi Counter Terrorist Force (ICTF). Lieutenant Colonel Donegan then served as an Unconventional Warfare Instructor with the 1st Special Warfare Training Group and as the USASOC DCS, G-3 Range Branch Chief before being assigned to the 5th SFG (A) where he served as the first Commander of the newly formed Operations Detachment, Commander of the Group Support Company, Commander of the Group Support Battalion and Commander of Bravo Company, 4th Battalion. Lieutenant Colonel Donegan led Bravo Company on its inaugural combat deployment to Iraq where he served as the Commander of AOB-5420 at FOB Warrior in Kirkuk from January to September 2010. Lieutenant Colonel Donegan then served as the Lead Plans Officer for Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) Gulf Cooperation Council Operational Plan Team, where he led a Survey and Assessment Team into Cairo, Egypt during the early stages of the “Arab Uprising” and served as the SOCCENT LNO to JSOC. Lieutenant Colonel Donegan ended his esteemed military career detailed to the Department of State where he served as the Senior Special Operations Coordinator, Senior Advisor and focal point between Diplomatic Security and DoD specialized military units that support Diplomatic Security operations overseas on all operational and training matters. For his exemplary service at the Department of State, Lieutenant Colonel Donegan was awarded the State Department Superior Honor Award.
Civilian Education:
University of Rhode Island: Baccalaureate of Arts in History, Minor in Military Science
Webster University: Master of Arts in Business and Organizational Security Management
Military Education:
Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses
Special Operations Detachment Officer Qualification Course
Survival, Evade, Resist and Escape (High Risk) Course
Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course
Combined Arms Service Staff School
Joint Officer Planning Course
US Army Command and General Staff College
Awards and Decorations:
The Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Valor “V” device and six oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Good Conduct Medal with three knots, National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze campaign star, Kosovo Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze campaign star, Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars, War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, NATO Medal with bronze campaign star, NCO Professional Development Ribbon with number two, Overseas Service Ribbon with number five, the Army Service Ribbon, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Citation with oak leaf cluster and the Army Superior Unit Award with oak leaf cluster.
The Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Special Operations Diver Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, The Order of Saint Maurice, foreign jump wings to include Jordanian, Tunisian, Norwegian, Dutch, German, Australian and Laotian.
Time Magazine Person of the Year, 2003.