Colonel Michael Binetti, Chief of Staff - Arlington National Cemetery
May 9, 2023
On this week's episode of Where To Next, Colonel Michael Binetti, Chief of Staff for Arlington National Cemetary, joins the program to talk about the second annual Flowers of Remembrance Ceremony coming up Memorial Day Weekend. Col. Binetti talks about this unique opportunity for people to pay their respects by laying a flower on the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier, what this special ceremony means to him personally, additional activities going on that day, and more!
A New Jersey native, Colonel Michael R. Binetti was commissioned in 1996 as an Engineer Officer and ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate from Siena College in Loudonville, NY. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Webster University, a Master of Military Arts and Science in Theater Operations from the Command and General Staff College, a Master of Arts in Security Studies from Kansas State University, and a Master of Science in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.
He has served in a variety of command and staff assignments including, Intelligence Officer and Platoon Leader, 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea; Platoon Leader and Assistant Brigade Engineer, 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC; Assistant Brigade Engineer and Commander A Company, 11th Engineer Battalion and Commander E Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA; Chief of Plans – Future Operations, 82nd Airborne Division; Executive Officer, 30th Engineer Battalion and Executive Officer, 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC; Professor of Military Science, University of Virginia and Liberty University Army ROTC; Commander 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion and Division Engineer, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, HI, and Chief of Plans, Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Fort Belvoir, VA. He has one operational deployment to Albania & Kosovo, one combat deployment to Afghanistan, and three combat deployments to Iraq.
Colonel Binetti’s awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster.
He has been awarded the Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Ranger Tab, Sapper Tab, French Parachutist Badge, and the Australian Parachutist Badge. He is also a recipient of the Army Engineer Association’s Bronze de Fleury Medal.
His wife Heather is an LTC in the US Army Reserves, works for the federal government, and they have two children, Andrew and Sabrina.