Colonel Janmichael S. Graine is a 1980 distinguished military graduate of Rutgers University. He received a BA in Biology with a minor in Africana Studies and received a 3-year ROTC scholarship. He became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at Rutgers and played on the Rutgers Soccer Team. Commissioned as a Chemical Corp Officer, he first served at Ft. Benning, Georgia as the Operation Air Officer and Battalion Chemical Officer of the 2d Battalion 14th infantry, 2d Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. After completing the Chemical Advanced course at Ft. McClellan, Alabama, he was assigned to the US Army Environmental Center Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland as an Environmental Project Officer.
In 1993, he resigned his Regular Army commission and received an Army Reserve Commission assigned to the Deputy Chief of Staff-Training, 79th ARCOM, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania as Chemical Operations Officer. He then assumed the command of the 357th Chemical Company (Smoke), Camden NJ, followed by the Executive Officer position at the 462d Transportation Battalion, in Trenton, NJ.
Next, he was assigned as Brigade Adjutant to the 455th Chemical Brigade based at Ft. Dix, NJ and deployed to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from May 2003 to May 2004. COL Graine is a graduate of the Chemical Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Airborne School, Jungle Warfare School, and Command and General Staff College. Among COL Graine’s awards and decorations are the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Parachutist Badge and numerous other awards. As a Civilian, COL Graine is employed at the US Army Environmental Command as a Biologist. He has led the Army’s support to the Chesapeake Bay Program for over 12 years. In this capacity, he has overseen program support for numerous projects and initiatives at over 21 Defense installations within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. His guidance and leadership have supported Chesapeake Bay Program Agreement compliance, program outreach, technical demonstration projects, and public education events across the Army and Department of Defense.
Janmichael has served as a role model for cooperative environmental stewardship and has been responsible for greatly enhancing Chesapeake Bay initiatives across the Army and its sister services. He has also been a role model for children. Jan has been a guest speaker at local elementary schools where he has taught children about the Chesapeake Bay and its unique ecosystem, and he regularly participates in the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia where he demonstrates environmental stewardship techniques to Scouts and adult leaders. He holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland.
Janmicahael lives in Havre de Grace, MD. His Aunt, who raised Janmichael lives in Hackensack and his brother, an electrical engineer at NASA lives in Florida.