| Mike R. Vining | |
| Birth Date: | 1950 8, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Greenville, Michigan, U.S. |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1968–1999 |
| Rank: | Sergeant major |
| Unit: | 99th Ordnance Detachment (EOD) Delta Force |
| Battles: | Vietnam War Operation Eagle Claw Operation Urgent Fury Gulf War |
| Awards: | Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
| Alma Mater: | USNY Regents College |
| Spouse: | Donna Ikenberry |
| Children: | 2 |
Mike R. Vining (born August 12, 1950) is a retired sergeant major in the United States Army, who was one of the first members of Delta Force. He joined the Army in 1968, and served until 1999.
Mike Vining was born on August 12, 1950 in Greenville, Michigan to Roger Earl (1927–2020) and Dolores Arlene Vining (née Croff, originally Rector; 1930–2003).[1] When he was in high school, he saw news of the Tet Offensive, which inspired him to join the military. He graduated from Tri-County High School in 1968 and enlisted in the United States Army the same year.
Vining completed the Army's explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) program before being sent to Vietnam in 1970. He served in the 99th Ordnance Detachment for a year before being honorably discharged. While in Vietnam, he was awarded the Bronze Star for "meritorious service in ground operations and EOD duties".[2] After completing his tour in Vietnam, Vining left the Army and returned home to Michigan. He got a job at a plant that stamped out automotive body parts for Ford Motor Company and then became the lead employee on the third shift of the largest press in the plant, a 500-ton press.[3]
In 1973, he rejoined the Army, serving as an EOD specialist in the 63rd Ordnance Detachment at Fort Leonard Wood. In 1978, he tried out for and was selected to Delta Force, a newly formed unit of which he was its first EOD specialist.[4] Vining served in Delta until 1985, taking part in Operation Eagle Claw and Operation Urgent Fury. From 1985 to 1986, he was assigned to the 176th Ordnance Detachment in Alaska, before being brought back to Delta from 1986 to 1992, taking part in the Gulf War, Operation Uphold Democracy, and serving as an explosives expert during the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. He retired from the military in January 1999.[5]
Vining has a Bachelor of Science in sociology from The Regents College of the University of the State of New York, and he has worked as a historian for the National EOD Association and the EOD Warrior Foundation. He has also written articles on naval postal history, for which he received the Joseph M. Hale Award for excellence in research. In 1991, Vining became a member of the Universal Ship Cancellation Society, and served as its director from 2007 to 2009.
In 2018, he was inducted into the United States Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame.
The photo of Vining in his Army Service uniform has become an internet meme due to the particularly smug face he displays in the photograph, being used as a reaction image. Commenting on the trend, Vining said “I do not know how any of the memes got started. One of my grandchildren saw that someone even did a Pokémon card on me.”[6]
SGM Vining earned the following throughout his military career:[7]
| Badge | Combat Infantryman Badge | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badge | Basic Parachutist Badge | ||||||||||||
| 1st row | Legion of Merit | Bronze Star | Defense Meritorious Service Medal | ||||||||||
| 2nd row | Joint Service Commendation Medal | Army Commendation Medal | Joint Service Achievement Medal | ||||||||||
| 3rd row | Army Achievement Medal | Army Good Conduct Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | |||||||||
| 4th row | Vietnam Service Medal | Southwest Asia Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | NCO Professional Development Ribbon | |||||||||
| 5th row | Army Overseas Service Ribbon | Vietnam Campaign Medal | Kuwait Liberation Medal | ||||||||||
| Badges | Military Freefall Parachutist Badge | Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge | |||||||||||
In January 1999, he married his wife Donna Ikenberry on Mauna Kea, in Hawaii. Vining lives with his wife, a freelance photojournalist, in South Fork, Colorado. They have two children, named Terri and Lorri.