Biography Information
MICHAEL A. BAUMANN
Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army, Retired) Baumann hails from Olivia, Minnesota and is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Minnesota. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in September 1985, he has served in Army units in the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. He is a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science Degree in Education Administration from Texas A&M University. He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advance Course, the Combined Services Staff Officer Course, and the Army Command and General Staff College. He has served in various command and staff positions at all echelons in the Army.
His first assignment in 1986 was in the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Assigned to 2nd Battalion 320th Field Artillery Regiment, he served as Communications Platoon Leader, Company Fire Support Officer, Battery Fire Direction Officer and Battery Executive Officer. Baumann also graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School while serving with the 101st. Following his assignment at Fort Campbell he attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia and then went to Nuremburg, Germany where he served in the First Armor Division. Eighteen months later Baumann moved as part of the brigade he was assinged with to Vilseck, Germany and served in the Third Infantry Division. While assigned to 6-1 Field Artillery, Colonel Baumann served as a Battalion Fire Support Officer for 1-6 Infantry, the Battalion Adjutant, Battalion Maintenance Officer, and Battery Commander of B Battery. Upon completion of duty in Germany he was selected to be an ROTC instructor at Texas A&M University where he taught and prepared cadets to become Army officers and earned a Master's Degree. In 1996 Colonel Baumann was reassigned to Washington D.C. where he served as an evaluator for the Army Operations Test and Evaluation Command and then reassigned as Officer Professional Development Program Manager at the Army Human Resources Command. Selected for attendance at the Army Command and General Staff College, Colonel Baumann went to Fort Leavenworth for one year to study higher level Army staff and tactical operations direction. In 1999 he was reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he served as the S3, Operations Officer and the Battalion Executive Officer for 1-77 Field Artillery. In 2001 he was named to be the Brigade Executive Officer for 75th Field Artillery Brigade. Six months later he was selected to command a Field Artillery Battalion in the First Cavalry Division and in the summer of 2002 was sent to Fort Hood, Texas. Before taking command, Colonel Baumann was assigned to III Corps, G3 Operations section where he served as Chief, Current Operations Corps G3 and then selected to serve on Joint Task Force Southwest Asia in Saudi Arabia as the Ground Director to U.S. Air Force Central Command operating from the Combat Air Operations Center at Prince Sultan Air Base. While in that position, Colonel Baumann managed reporting of operations information to the U.S. Air Force Central Command Commanding General on all U.S. ground forces operating in Afghanistan. Returning from Saudi Arabia, he assumed command of 1-21 Field Artillery in First Cavalry Division. He prepared and deployed the battalion to Iraq and served a combat tour there from March 2004 to March 2005. He returned to Fort Hood and relinquished command of 1-21 Field Artillery in June 2005 and retired from the Army in October 2005. Today he is the Business and Financial Affairs Controller for Saint Paul Public Schools and he lives with his family in Lakeville, Minnesota .
His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), the Joint Services Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (three awards), the Iraq Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (two awards), the Ranger Tab, the Parachutists Badge, the Air Assault Badge and the Jungle Expert Badge.
Baumann is also the Minnesota Chapter Vets for Freedom State Captain and author of the book, ADJUST FIRE: Transforming to Win in Iraq.
FADI AL-TAIE
Fadi Al-Taie is from Baghdad, Iraq. Born in 1979 to a Jordanian mother and Iraqi father, Fadi has sacrificed much and served the cause of freedom admirably. Although his family resided in a low-profile, liberal enclave of Baghdad avoiding much of the wrath and attention of the Ba'ath Party, Fadi grew up in a mostly typical Iraqi lifestyle under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein from 1979 to March 2003.
In 1996 he graduated from the state directed Iraqi Gifted Boys' High School and then went on to attend Iraq's, University of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering. Because Fadi held an engineering degree, under the rules of Saddam's dictatorship, he was forbidden to leave Iraq for work or to pursue further education. His choices were to serve a compulsory Army service obligation or, because his academic performance was high enough as an undergraduate student, he could pursue a master's degree at the University of Technology . Fadi chose to further his education in computer technology. While working on his master's degree, Fadi worked as a computer engineer and technical staff team leader at Al Khatm Private Computer Institute. Additionally, he worked as a software consultant for the Eastern Computer Company helping that company with marketing of Western computer software to Middle Eastern consumers. In 2003, Fadi's last year of master's study, he was threatened with expulsion from the university by the government if he did not join the Ba'ath Party. Before Fadi had to commit, the U.S. invaded Iraq . Fadi was off the hook with Saddam's regime. In April 2003, motivated by his passionate affinity for the American life-style, freedom, and democracy, Fadi went to one of the U.S. Army camps in southern Baghdad and offered to help. While in college he had learned English through self-study and watching American movies. This fateful decision started a profoundly new chapter in Fadi's life. Fadi's service with the U.S. military kept evolving in a manner where he eventually became a bona-fide interpreter for the U.S. Army. While working as an interpreter, Fadi finished his studies and earned his Masters Degree in Computer Networking. After serving as an interpreter for two years with various U.S. Army units, with the help of Colonel Baumann and others, Fadi came to the U.S. on an “O” category visa. Colonel Baumann brought Fadi with him via Amman, Jordan, New York City, and Fort Hood, Texas, to Minnesota where he now resides.
In November 2005, with help from Congressman John Kline (2nd U.S. congressional district of Minnesota) and Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman, Fadi represented by his lawyer "David L. Wilson" applied for political asylum to stay in the U.S. Fadi has also filed for permanent U.S. residency under a new U.S. law passed as part of the Defense Authorization Act of 2006 that grants fast-track U.S. permanent residency to fifty Iraqi or Afghani interpreters per year. His case was adjudicated and Fadi was granted special immagration status in March 2007. He is now a permanent resident of the USA and holds a green card to work in the U.S.
