Biography

COL Mingus received his commission from the Winona State University ROTC program in 1987 as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry where he also received his Bachelor of Arts Degree. Following graduation from the Infantry Officer Basic Course, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany where he served as a Bradley Platoon Leader, Bradley Company Executive Officer and Battalion Maintenance Officer.

After completing the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Mingus was stationed at Ft Bragg, North Carolina where he commanded Bravo Company, 2-505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the Division's Long Range Surveillance Detachment. He then served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division. Mingus finished his tour at Ft Bragg as the Commander of the XVIII Airborne CORPS Long Range Surveillance Company. Following his assignment at Ft Bragg, Mingus served as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

After graduating from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Mingus was assigned to Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia where he served as the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Liaison Officer and Battalion Operations Officer. He was then assigned to Joint Special Operations Command, Ft Bragg, North Carolina, where he served in the J3 Directorate as Chief of a Joint Planning Group and Chief of Current Operations. Mingus then served as Commander of the 4th Ranger Training Battalion and Commander of the Regimental Special Troops Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning Georgia for four years.

He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Ranger School, Airborne School, Jumpmaster School, Military Free Fall School, Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course, Army's Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College. He has been awarded the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Military Free Fall Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, British Parachutist Badge, Thailand Parachutist Badge, Polish Parachutist Badge and the German Parachutist Badge. His decorations include; Legion of Merit, four Bronze Star Medals, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Services Achievement Medal, six Army Achievement Medals, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the GWOT Expeditionary Medal. He holds a Masters of Strategic Studies degree from the US Army War College. He has served multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.