Lt. Col. Ryan C. Sommer, Commander, 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment
Lt. Col. Ryan C. Sommer, from Zionsville, IN, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2007 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Aviation Branch.
After graduating from flight school at Fort Rucker, he was assigned as a Platoon Leader in Alpha Company, 5-101st Aviation Regiment (Fort Campbell, KY). He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009 to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wolverine. Upon redeployment to Fort Campbell in 2010, he assumed the Battalion Supply Officer position. He moved to Fort Rucker, AL, in 2011 for the Captain’s Career Course and Aviation Maintenance Managers Course. Upon completion of those courses, he moved back to Fort Campbell, KY, and was assigned to the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion for Green Platoon and Combat Skills Training. He then served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer for Delta Company, 1-160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment deploying multiple times in support of contingency operations. Selected for command in the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, in 2015 he moved from Fort Campbell, KY, to Fort Bragg, NC, and immediately deployed to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, to take command of Alpha Company, 2-82 Aviation Regiment. After redeployment he then took command of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. In 2017 he moved to Fort Leavenworth, KS, to attend the Army Command and General Staff College, which upon completion he was assigned to the 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Carson, CO, where he served as the Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer. While at Fort Carson, he deployed to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve and then to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, where he served as the Brigade Operations Officer for 4th Combat Aviation Brigade. Upon redeployment in 2021, he was assigned to the Aviation Detachment at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. There he served as the Brigade Aviation Officer Trainer, Aviation Operations Trainer and Flight Detachment Commander. LTC Sommer most recently served as the Professor of Military Science at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH, from 2023 to present.
LTC Sommer’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with C Device, Army Commendation Medal (5 OLC), Army Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (3 CS), Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Master Army Aviator Badge, Airborne Badge, Air Assault Badge
Ryan is married to Stephanie (Kessel) Sommer of Zionsville, Indiana, and they have three children: Jackson, Melanie, and Lillian.