Military Wiki
Military Wiki


John F. Mulholland Jr.
John F Mulholland
Born 1954/1955 (age 69–70)
Place of birth Clovis, New Mexico
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Department of the Army Seal United States Army
Years of service 1978-present
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held Deputy Commander, USSOCOM
Commander, ARSOC
Commander, SOCCENT
Deputy Commander, JSOC
Battles/wars Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Awards Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit

Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland, Jr. (born c. 1955)[1] is the current Deputy Commander of United States Special Operations Command.[2]

Early life[]

Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Mulholland grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated from Furman University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

Military career[]

Mulholland was commissioned into active duty as a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1978 and was posted with the 193rd Infantry Brigade in the Panama Canal Zone. He was then moved into Special Forces after graduating the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, NC and joined the 5th Special Forces Group. He remained in the 5th Special Forces Group, where he served as ODA, Company, Battalion/Squadron and Group commander within the Special Forces. In 2001 at the beginning of the War on Terror Mulholland became commander of Task Force Dagger part of Joint Special Operations Task Force North during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In August 2003, he was re-assigned to chief of the Office of Military Cooperation in Kuwait. Afterwards served as the commander of Coalition-Joint Task Force West and then Coalition-Joint Task Force-Arabian Peninsula during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was then promoted to commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command from August 2005 until July 2006. From August 2006 until June 2007 he was the Deputy Commander of Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, NC. On June 22, 2007 he assumed command of Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) at MacDill AFB, FL. He then served four years as the commander of United States Army Special Operations Command from November 7, 2008 until July 24, 2012.[3]

Education[]

Date of Rank[]

File:Furman U Seal.png Furman University ROTC Cadet – Class of 1979

Rank Date
US-OF1B Second Lieutenant Feb 2, 1979
US-O2 insignia First Lieutenant Jan 10, 1981
US-O3 insignia Captain Jan 1, 1983
US-O4 insignia Major Jan 1, 1991
US-O5 insignia Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 1995
US-O6 insignia Colonel Apr 1, 2001
US-O7 insignia Brigadier General Jan 1, 2005
US-O8 insignia Major General Jun 16, 2008
US-O9 insignia Lieutenant General Nov 7, 2008

Awards, Decorations, and Badges[]

U.S. military decorations
Distinguished Service Medal ribbon Army Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon
Defense Superior Service Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters)
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit ribbon
Legion of Merit (with 1 oak leaf clusters)
Bronze Star ribbon Bronze Star Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service ribbon
Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with oak leaf clusters)
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service ribbon
Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters)
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal ribbon
Army Commendation Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters)
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Us jointservachiev rib
Joint Service Achievement Medal (with 2 oak leaf cluster)
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal ribbon
Army Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster)
U.S. Unit Awards
Presidential Unit Citation ribbon Presidential Unit Citation
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award ribbon
Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with 2 leaf cluster)
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Valorous Unit Award ribbon
Valorous Unit Award (with oak leaf cluster)
U.S. Service (Campaign) Medals and Service and Training Ribbons
Bronze star
National Defense Service Medal ribbon
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 service stars)
Bronze star
Bronze star
Afghanistan Campaign ribbon
Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with 2 service stars)
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Iraq Campaign ribbon
Iraq Campaign Medal (with 3 service stars)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary ribbon Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service ribbon Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
ResMedRib Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Army Service Ribbon Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 4 Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral "4")
Other accoutrements
Combat Infantry Badge Combat Infantry Badge
US Army Airborne master parachutist badge Master Parachutist Badge
USAF - Occupational Badge - High Altitude Low Opening Freefall Badge
Pathfinder Pathfinder Badge
SpecialForcesTabMetal Special Forces Tab
RangerTab TIoH Ranger Tab
US Army Special Operations Command SSI US Army Special Operations Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
SpecialForces Badge 1st Special Forces Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
File:IrishSilver.jpg Irish Parachute Badge

He also awarded nineteen Silver Star Medals to members of the 3rd Special Forces Group as a result of an operation in Afghanistan. He is quoted as saying "“If you saw it in a movie, you’d shake your head and say it couldn't happen,” in reference to their actions.[citation needed] In recognition of his distinguished service to his country, Mulholland received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2011.

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at John F. Mulholland, Jr. and the edit history here.