Col. Mike Galloucis, U.S. Army retired, served 30 years on active duty. He retired in 2010 as chief of staff of the Defense Media Activity, Alexandria, Virginia. He commanded a brigade in Iraq before and during the 2007 Surge. After retiring from the Army, he served 11 years as a senior executive at the Department of Veterans Affairs, including as acting assistant secretary of the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.