“Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

Upon completion of battery command Lieutenant Colonel McDonald was selected as an Army intern and relocated to Washington, D.C. where he attended Georgetown University and earned a Master of Policy Management. Lieutenant Colonel McDonald was then assigned as a Joint Chiefs of Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense (JCS/OSD) Intern (a three year program). His first assignment in the Pentagon was to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Strategy, as a policy strategist. His final year as a member of the Army intern program was spent on the Head Quarters Department of the Army G-8 Staff.

After completing ILE at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Lieutenant Colonel McDonald was assigned as the Battalion Operations officer of 1-7, Air Defense Artillery, (Patriot) Battalion locatedat Fort Bragg, North Carolina and completed a Master degree in Education from Old Dominion University. Also, while assigned to the battalion he deployed to United Arab Emirates (UAE) in support of “Operation Enduring Freedom.” Upon redeployment he continued in the battalion as the Executive Officer. Lieutenant Colonel McDonald was then selected to serve as a Professor of Military Science (PMS) and Chairperson for the Military Science Department at Michigan State University.

Lieutenant Colonel McDonald’s awards and decorations include two Bronze Stars, Meritorious Service Medal (3OLC), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2OLC), Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (4OLC), Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal (w/bronze star), Korean Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global