COL Ari Martyn
Colonel Ari Martyn, from Natick, Massachusetts, was commissioned into the Infantry in 2004. His early assignments included service with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 2nd Ranger Battalion, followed by command of a Mechanized Infantry Company in 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. After company command, he and his wife, Heather, studied Mandarin Chinese at the Defense Language Institute and spent two years in Beijing, China on an Olmsted Scholarship.
Colonel Martyn later returned to the 75th Ranger Regiment as a field-grade officer, serving in 1st Ranger Battalion, Regimental Headquarters, and a deployed task force. He also served at Headquarters, Department of the Army as a plans integrator and commanded 1st Squadron (Airborne), 91st Cavalry Regiment, in the 173rd Brigade Combat Team (Airborne). Most recently, he was assigned as an operations officer at U.S. Army Pacific.
Colonel Martyn’s assignments have taken him to 11 posts across three continents, and he has deployed to Iraq four times and Afghanistan seven times. He is a graduate of Ranger School, Jungle School, and other military courses. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, and the MacArthur Leadership Award. Colonel Martyn holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in international relations.