Published: Sep 1, 2005
Lt. Col. Patrick M. O’Sullivan, a former Army intelligence officer, has
succeeded Lt. Col. Deirdre Dixon as Spartan Battalion commander, professor of
military science and director of ROTC. O’Sullivan reported to campus in August
to take command immediately upon Dixon’s retirement
A native of Milford,
CT, O’Sullivan, 44, grew up in Hollywood and Winter Haven, FL. In 1980, he
enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army, and spent two years as an intelligence
analyst with VII Corps in Stuttgart, Germany.
He was awarded an Army ROTC
Scholarship in 1982, which curtailed his enlistment and returned him to college.
He graduated magna cum laude in 1985 from Florida Southern College in Lakeland,
where he also was named Distinguished Military Graduate. His degree is a BS in
political science.
International Experience
After college,
O’Sullivan was an honor graduate of the Military Intelligence Officers’ Basic
Course, Fort Huachuca, AZ, and a graduate of Airborne School, Fort Benning, GA.
He assumed duties as Battalion Intelligence Officer (S2) of the 5th Battalion
(Mechanized), 8th Infantry Regiment in Mainz, Germany, in January 1986. After
two years, he became assistant S2 of the 1st Brigade, 8th Infantry Division
(Mechanized) in Mainz in January 1988.
Upon completion of his tour of
Germany in May 1989, O’Sullivan graduated from an abbreviated military
intelligence officers’ advanced course at Fort Huachuca and the year-long
post-graduate intelligence program at the Defense Intelligence College (Defense
Intelligence Agency) in Washington, DC.
O’Sullivan then served as an
imagery intelligence systems and plans officer with the Defense Intelligence
Agency and Central Imagery Office in Washington from 1990 to 1993. His service
included temporary deployment to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and
crisis cell work in the National Military Joint Intelligence Center at the
Pentagon during Operation Desert Storm.
After graduating from the
Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, KS, O’Sullivan
assumed command of B Company, 344th Military Intelligence Battalion, at
Goodfellow AFB, TX, in July 1993. After company command, he then served as the
Battalion Operations Officer (S3) of the 344th Military Intelligence Battalion
from July 1994 to July 1995.
O’Sullivan spent 1995 to 1997 engaged in
European foreign area officer training. He graduated from Naval Postgraduate
School in Monterey, CA, with a Master of Arts in National Security Affairs. He
then spent a year conducting in-country training in Europe, based out of the
U.S. Embassy in Bonn, Germany.
Upon graduation from the Command and
General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1998, O’Sullivan returned to Fort
Huachuca, where he was assigned to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. He served
as an operations officer in the Battle Command Battle Lab, Battalion Executive
Officer of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion from 1999 to 2000, and
senior instructor of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion.
From 2000
to 2002, O’Sullivan served in the International Army Programs Directorate,
Headquarters U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, VA, where he
was responsible for U.S. Army bilateral relations with the armies of France and
Italy.
In August 2002, O’Sullivan was assigned as the professor of
military science and head of the ROTC Department at Minnesota State University
in Mankato.
O’Sullivan’s awards and decorations include the Defense
Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal (with three oak leaf
clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with oak
leaf cluster), Army Achievement Medal (with three oak leaf clusters) and Joint
Meritorious Unit Award.
He is married to the former Elisabeth Orshansky
of Alexandria, VA. O’Sullivan lists as his hobbies sports, reading, movies,
travel, cats and spending as much time as possible with his wife.
For
more information, contact the Office of Public Information at publicinfo@ut.edu or (813) 253-6232.