Mike Welborn.

Michael Reid Welborn was born and raised in Oregon. He is the son of Harold R. and Janet Welborn and grandson of Johnny and Margaret Reid Welborn. Harold was a 1953 Rockport High School Graduate. Mike's grandparents moved the Welborn family to Oregon in the mid-fifties. Johnny and Margaret Reid Welborn were the parents of three sons that followed them to Oregon. The sons completed school, got jobs and raised their families in the area where Johnny and Margaret first settled. Now, some fifty plus years later, the Welborn family, in the Oregon area, is approaching one hundred family members. Michael is one of those members.

After completing high school in Oregon, Mike joined the army in 1984 and was sent to Fort Knox for training. His career field was in the Armored Division and he trained to become a tank crew member/driver. After completing the U. S. Army Armored School at Ft. Knox, Mike was sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas and then to Germany where he completed his service commitment in February of 1988 and was honorably discharged.

Guess the service life was good to Mike, as upon returning to Eugene, Oregon, he enlisted in the Oregon National Guard while enrolling in college at the University of Oregon at Eugene, Oregon. He received his BA degree in 1991 and enlisted in the Air Force. He was sent to Lackland Air Force Base attending the Officers Training School. He completed his training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1992.

Officer Welborn's first assignment, as a newly trained officer, was as a Squadron Section Commander of a fighter wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. His other tours of duty were California, the Pentagon in Washington, D. C., and Oregon University in Eugene, Oregon.

Lt Col Welborn's final assignment was Chief of Budget, MILSATCOM, Los Angeles AFB, CA. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon, B.A. Finance, and Human Resource Management, and Webster University, M.S. Information Systems Management. He is also a Certified Defense Financial Manager for Acquisitions. Lt Col Welborn's experience includes acquisition finance in Launch Programs, Global Positioning System and Communication Satellite Systems; Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies and Commandant of Cadets for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps; duty as the Executive Officer for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Cost and Economics. Emergency Actions Officer at Spangdahlem Air Base Germany, and Chief of Current Operations for the 52nd Fighter Wing. He deployed three times, first to Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia as the Lead Command Post Controller during Operation Deny Flight enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq. In 2005, then Major Welborn volunteered for deployment and was assigned to Camp Arifjan Kuwait as Assistance in Kind Manager where he served as Liaison to the Ministry of Defense, Kuwait for all Logistics supporting United States forces in Kuwait. Finally, in June 2006 Major Welborn deployed to the Green Zone, Baghdad Iraq, where he was assigned as the Chief of Strategic Plans for the Multi-National Security Transition Command. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning future Iraqi Security Forces as authority was transferred from coalition forces back to Iraqi Police, Border Police, Army, Navy, and Air Forces. He led the development of over $15 Billion in investment plans for future Iraqi Security Forces.

Currently, Mike Welborn is a Lt. Colonel and stationed at L. A. Air Force Base in Segundo, California where he is processing to leave the service. His dad says, that although his son will soon be retired, Mike will find some type of work to keep him busy. Our well wishes are with you Mike, and thanks for your service to our country.

:) See you..........

jrd