Craig Mullaney

Craig M. Mullaney is a United States Army veteran and the author of The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education (Penguin Press). He was on the national security staff of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Defense Transition Team under co-chairs Michele Flournoy and Dr. John P. White.

Mullaney graduated second in his class from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 2000 and from the University of Oxford, Lincoln College, in 2002, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Craig also graduated from the Army's Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

In 2003, Mullaney served as an infantry officer with the 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. After his tour in Afghanistan, Mullaney served in the 3d United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), in Arlington, Virginia. From 2005-08, he served as the Army Exchange Officer to the history faculty of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Mullaney is married to Dr. Meena Seshamani, an otolaryngology resident physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital. They met at Oxford where Dr. Seshamani was a Marshall Scholar.

Early life

Raised in a blue-collar family in Rhode Island, Mullaney was the Bishop Hendricken High School valedictorian and accepted a nomination to the U.S. Military Academy in 1996.

Cadet

While a cadet, Mullaney double-majored in French and History, served as the cadet responsible for all cadet training and operations in his senior year, and completed over 400 jumps as a nationally ranked member of West Point's sport-parachute team. He graduated second in the West Point Class of 2000. As a young plebe during drill practice, Craig executed a right face on a left face command, accidentally stabbing his classmate, Dustin Felix, in the head. Felix received only minor injuries.

Oxford

Mullaney studied at Lincoln College at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar from 2000 to 2002. He earned a Master of Science degree in Economic and Social History and a Master of Studies degree in Historical Research. During this time he traveled to over thirty countries.

Service in Afghanistan

Prior to arriving at Oxford, Mullaney completed Ranger School, a grueling nine-week course designed to test small-unit leadership by simulating combat stress through strenuous tactical exercises. When Mullaney returned to the United States in 2002, he completed additional infantry training and joined the 10th Mountain Division, which had recently returned from Afghanistan. He deployed in July 2003 to Afghanistan, where he led a rifle platoon along the hostile border with Pakistan. His platoon operated along the entire spectrum of combat operations--from humanitarian assistance to full-scale combined arms against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. Mullaney's platoon was the most decorated in Afghanistan during its tour and was commended in person by General Richard Myers, General John Abizaid, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Mullaney was recognized with the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal for Valor, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Service with the Old Guard

Mullaney joined the Old Guard in Arlington, Virginia, following his return to the United States. At this elite ceremonial unit, he planned portions of the 2005 Presidential Inauguration, marched in reviews for foreign dignitaries, and managed a team of Pentagon-funded software engineers developing revolutionary management software for small units in the Army.

Exchange Officer at the Naval Academy

In the summer of 2005, Mullaney joined the faculty of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as a history professor. He designed and taught an undergraduate course on the history of the U.S. Navy and American foreign policy. Mullaney left the Army in the summer of 2008 upon completion of his tour at the Naval Academy.

Author

Mullaney wrote The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education, an autobiographical look at preparing for the responsibility of leading men in combat and the hard-won lessons of that experience. In advance of its publication on February 19, 2009, it received critical praise from an array of leading political and military figures.

External links

• Craig M. Mullaney author website
• The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education book website