COLONEL DAVID ROGER MCLAUGHLIN CLASS OF 1962

Born in Illinois, he was commissioned Field Artillery upon graduation His first assignment was with the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery before deploying to Vietnam, in 1964, as a Psychological Warfare and Civil Affairs Advisor. After attending the Artillery & Missile School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1966, he remained there as a Battery Commander in the Artillery Training Center. Then, in 1968, he graduated from the Defense Language Institute in Washington D.C. In 1969 he reported to the United States Military Group in Ecuador before returning to Vietnam to serve with the 173rd Airborne Brigade as the Assistant Operations Officer and on the General Staff for the II Corps as Deputy G-4. After Vietnam, he served as the Operations Officer, Battery Commander and Executive Officer for the 3rd Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, a Pershing Missile Unit, from 1972 to 1975. He then served as the Operations Officer for the 9th Field Artillery Group from 1976 to 1977. In 1977 he earned his Master of Economics degree at the University of Oklahoma, then after completing the Command & General Staff course at the United States Army School of the Americas, he stayed on as part of the Staff & Faculty until 1978. He returned to Ecuador as a Chief of the U.S. Military Liaison Office serving there until 1981. His next assignment was in Spain with the Joint Military Assistance Group. In 1984, he reported to the United States Southern Command in Panama as the Deputy Joint Service Staff Officer for Plans. In 1985 he took command of the United States Military Group in Guatemala. From 1988 to 1989, he served first in the Office of the Special Review Board, and then served as the Executive Officer of the Multinational Staff of the Inter American Defense Board. He retired from active duty in 1992. His decorations include: the Legion of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals, four Defense Meritorious Service Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Joint Services Commendation Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. He has also been decorated by the governments of Vietnam, Ecuador, Colombia, and Guatemala. After retiring, he held many positions in the civilian sector to include business owner, international consultant, and City Manager. Colonel McLaughlin currently resides in San Antonio, Texas.