Regiment is an organization that celebrates its heritage proudly.
Our history of service is built upon the shoulders of great men and women who have served this country with professionalism, duty, and selfless service.
It is our honor to celebrate the sacrifices of those who have served, serve and will serve to defend what this country stands for.
Each month, we will highlight great Americans and their actions to solidify the foundation of everything this country is built upon.
This month of June, we salute the United States Army Sergeant Major (Retired) Mike R. Vining.
While attending classes at Tri-County High School he saw news of the Tet Offensive, which inspired him to join the United States Army after graduating in 1968.
He completed (EOD) school before deploying to Vietnam in 1970, he served with the 99th Ordinance detachment for a year before being honorably discharged. While he was in Vietnam he was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in ground ops and his EOD duties he returned home to Michigan.
In 1973, he rejoined the Army, serving as an EOD specialist in the 63rd Ordnance Detachment at Fort Leonard Wood. In 1978, he was tried out and selected for Delta Force, making him the first-ever EOD Specialist to be a part of Delta. Serving in operations Eagle Claw, and Fury, and later taking part in the Gulf War, Operation Uphold Democracy, and serving as the explosives expert in the 1996 Khobar Towers Bombing. He retired in January 1999.
We have all seen the memes (Do you even operate bro?), but don’t let the glasses fool you, this man is an absolute stud, with a ribbon rack that is stacked nearly as high as his body count it also brings envy to all who gaze upon it. Thank you, SGM for giving all of us BCG glass-wearing dudes and dudettes hope. We Salute your service!