Department of Military Science - U.S. Army ROTC

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Michael G. Kirkland was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Armor in 1988 from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). He began his military service by enlisting in the Mississippi Army National Guard (MSARNG) in 1983 and attended basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. and was the distinguished graduate of his Advanced Individual Training Course at Fort Belvoir, Va. He accepted a ROTC scholarship after one year at East Central Community College in Decatur, Miss., and subsequently continued his education at the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating in 1989.

Until graduation from USM, LTC Kirkland continued to serve in the MSARNG as a platoon leader and staff officer. After entering active service and attending the Armor Officer Basic Course in 1990, he deployed and served in Operations Desert Shield/Storm with the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment as a tank platoon leader.

After returning stateside, LTC Kirkland served with the 1st Cavalry Division as a platoon leader, assistant S3, and as a staff officer in the Division G3. He then attended the Quartermaster Officer advanced course at Fort Lee, Va. and served as the installation supply officer for the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

He commanded the Army Recruiting Company in Memphis, Tenn., and was selected for Advanced Civilian Schooling as an Operations Research/Systems Analysis Officer at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo. After receiving his masters degree, he served at the TRADOC Analysis Center, White Sands Missile Range, N.M. and at the Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Knox, Ky.

He was assigned to the Joint IED Defeat Organization and deployed to Afghanistan in August 2006, and served as the Operations Research Analyst for Joint Task Force Paladin, the Afghanistan Counter-IED Task Force. Upon redeployment in August 2007, he served as the S2 Operations Division Chief with the Eastern Region Cadet Command and as XO of the Military College Brigade, Fort Knox, Ky.