#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Michael William Olahana Geary

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Michael William Olahana Geary. Michael served active and reserve from 2002 to 2011 and was deployed to Iraq.

Michael was born in Illinois and studied accounting at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. While growing up, Michael had the opportunity to meet many Veterans through his father’s work with the American Legion. The tragedy of 9/11 had an impact on Michael’s decision to join the military, and he decided to enlist in the Army at the age of 22. He completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Michael completed communications training at Fort Gordon, Georgia and airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Michael served two years at Fort Bragg, North Carolina before traveling to southern California for desert training. He was moved from an airborne unit to an infantry unit and deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in 2002. He served two tours in Iraq as a communications specialist which required him to be ready to jump into any location to set up portable satellite communications. He once narrowly missed being hit by enemy fire while driving a vehicle.

Michael received several medals for his service including the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He returned home to a parade in his hometown of Wauconda, Illinois.

Thank you for your service, Michael!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Graphic By Kierra Willis: Kierra Willis is a Graphic Communication Major at the University of Maryland University College. She currently has an AAS in Graphic Design and Visual Communications.