Fouts, Michael, SGT

Infantry
 
 TWS Ribbon Bar
Life Member
 
 Photo In Uniform   Service Details
195 kb
View Shadow Box View Printable Shadow Box View Reflection Shadow Box View Time Line View Family Time Line
Service Status
USA Veteran
Final Rank
Sergeant
Last Service Branch
Infantry
Last MOS
11B40-Infantryman
Last MOS Group
Infantry
Primary Unit
1975-1976, 11B40, Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion, 48th Infantry
Previously Held MOS
11B20-Infantryman
Service Years
1972 - 1976
Other Languages
German
Official/Unofficial US Army Certificates
Army Track Vehicle Driver Certificate
Army Wheel Vehicle Driver Certificate
Certificate Of Achievement
Cold War Certificate
Letter of Commendation
Reforger Certificate
Voice Edition
Infantry
Sergeant
One Service Stripe

 Official Badges 

Infantry Shoulder Cord


 Unofficial Badges 

Cold War Medal Cold War Veteran Redeye Firing Award


 Military Associations and Other Affiliations
Association of 3rd Armored Division VeteransPost 558
  2011, Association of 3rd Armored Division Veterans - Assoc. Page
  2024, American Legion, Post 558 (Member) (Los Altos, California) - Chap. Page


 Additional Information
What are you doing now:


After serving 4yrs in the U.S. Army, I enrolled in an Electronics Technology (ET) program at a local community college. I had taken Electronics classes all 3 years in high school prior to entering the service, and after leaving the service I decided working in the field of Electronics was what I wanted to do for a living. I completed the ET program 2yrs later and worked initially as an Electronics Tech (later as a Jr. Electronics Engineer) at various companies in Silicon Valley for the next 11yrs. After this I decided to change careers and started working in the Information Technology (IT) field, which I did for the remainder of my working years. I first started working in the Network Security field in 2000, and now work as a Sr. Network Engineer in a team supporting a global network security infrastructure.

UPDATE: I officially retired in early 2018... I had worked for a total of 38yrs in Silicon Valley and decided it was time for the next chapter in my life. So what do I do with all of my free time these days? Pretty much whatever I damn well please! Retirement is a wonderful thing.

   
Other Comments:


Info on my MOS (at the start and at the end of all of my unit assignments):

- Ft. Knox (Reception, BCT): 09B0O (Trainee) at start, 09B1O (Trainee Unassigned) at end.
- Fort Polk (Infantry AIT): 11B0O at start, 11B1O at end (note the 1O: MOS Skill Level = 10, SQI = O).
- Ft. Bliss (Redeye Gunner Crs.): 11B1O at start, 11B1OR6 at end (R6 = Redeye Designator).
- Coleman Kaserne, Germany (2Bn 48Inf, 2Bde 3AD, USAREUR): 11B1OR6 at start, 11B4OR6 (MOS Skill Level = 40) at end. (I also earned a 63C (Wheeled/Tracked Vehicle Mechanic) SMOS while I was stationed in Germany, which was upgraded to 63C4O by the time I left the service.)

Add'l info on my MOS (SQI and ASI):

The fifth position in the MOS is called the SQI, or Special Qualifications Identifier- note this is a letter field for enlisted ranks, not a number field. If you have no special qualifications that fall into this category (like me), the letter 'O' is listed in this field to indicate that- not a 0 (zero). There's apparently been a lot of confusion about this over the years- even my own military records occasionally list a 0 (zero) in this position instead of the correct letter 'O'.

The sixth and seventh position in the MOS is called the ASI, or Additional Skill Identifier. An ASI (which is either a letter/number combo or a number/letter combo) indicates add'l training that you've received related to the MOS the ASI is attached to. For me, the 'R6' ASI at the end of my 11B PMOS indicates add'l Redeye Gunner (Air Defense) training I received- a skill which would've been used to protect our 2-48 Infantry Battalion from airborne threats during combat.

Signed,

SGT Michael L. Fouts
PMOS: 11B4OR6 (Infantryman, Redeye Gunner)
SMOS: 63C4O (Wheeled/Tracked Vehicle Mechanic)
CSC 2Bn 48Inf (Dragoons), Bn Motto: 'We Set the Pace'
Coleman Kaserne, 2Bde (aka, the 'Iron Brigade')
3AD, USAREUR / Gelnhausen, West Germany

Our Cold War Mission: Guarding the Fulda Gap

   

 Remembrance Profiles -  2 Soldiers Remembered

 Image
National Defense Service Medal (2001-2022) - 1974



Name of Award
National Defense Service Medal (2001-2022)

Year Awarded
1974

Last Updated:
Jul 8, 2021
 
 
 
This ribbon will display Multiple Award devices automatically based on the total number of awards listed

   
Details Behind Award
A medal/ribbon awarded for my honorable active duty service during a declared national emergency- in my case during the Vietnam War, period 1-Jan-61 through 14-Aug-74.
   
My Photos From This Award
No Available Photos

Copyright Togetherweserved.com Inc 2003-2011