Command Team
Commander
Colonel Michael S. Mendenhall
Munson Army Health Center
Colonel Michael S. Mendenhall assumed Command of Munson Army Health Center August 5, 2022. He recently served as the Deputy Commander of 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
He received his commission in 1996 from Utah State University ROTC program.
After graduation from Basic Course in March 1997, COL Mendenhall was assigned as the Executive Officer for the HHC, 62nd Medical Group, at Fort Lewis, Washington. He then served as a platoon leader and the company executive officer for the 514th Medical Company, 85th Medical Battalion, 62nd Medical Group. In 1998, he attended the United States Army Flight School rating in the OH-58 A/C, UH-1 "Huey" and the UH-60A "Blackhawk” at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Following flight school, he served as the operations officer and flight platoon leader for the 82nd Medical Company (Air Ambulance), Fort Riley, Kansas.
COL Mendenhall attended the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Advanced Course in 2001 and then deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom with 82nd Medical Company (AA). Upon return from Iraq, he served in the Division Medical Operation Center (DMOC), 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. As the U.S. Army DMOCs dissolved with the U.S. Army redesign in 2004, he served as the Evacuation Officer in the Surgeon Cell assisting in the Force Design and allocation of medical forces within the Battalions and Brigades throughout the Division. In 2005, he was reassigned to the newly designed 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, as the Medical Evacuation Officer within the S-3 and served to plan and execute aeromedical evacuation throughout New York under the MAST agreements and upon deployment to Afghanistan.
In 2007, COL Mendenhall returned to Fort Rucker, Alabama as the Chief of Warrior Track and the U.S. Army Altitude Chamber at the United States Army School of Aviation Medicine. He oversaw the aviation and altitude physiology training of initial-entry aviators, and then departed to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to attend Intermediate Level Education.
In July 2010 until June 2012, he commanded Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Following the company's deployment to Afghanistan, he served as the battalion executive officer for the 1-52nd Aviation Regiment. COL Mendenhall commanded the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment at Soto Cano Airbase, Honduras from June 2014 until June 2015, with a follow- on assignments as the Assistant, Chief of Staff for Operations (G3) for Regional Health Command Europe, Sembach, Germany, and Deputy Surgeon, 8th Army at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea.
COL Mendenhall's combat and operational deployments include Detachment Commander in Kuwait 2001 and Flight Platoon Leader, 82nd Medical Company (AA) Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003. Medical Evacuation Officer, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), Bagram, Afghanistan. Commander, C Company, 1-52 AVN Regiment, assigned to 7-101 AVN Battalion, 159th CAB, Kandahar, Afghanistan. Finally, as the Battalion Commander for the 1-228th Aviation Regiment executing Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, Personal Recovery and Counter Transnational Organized Crime missions across Central America.
COL Mendenhall received his Bachelor of Science in Bio-Veterinary Science from Utah State University in 1996. He received his Master of Arts in Public Administration from Troy University in 2010. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Course (ILE) and the United State Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
COL Mendenhall's badges and awards include the Master Aviator Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, and awards commensurate with time in service and deployment medals.