David J. Menegon

David J. Menegon served in the United States Army Reserve and retired as a Colonel after 30 years of service.

As a Civil Affairs Officer serving in Special Operations, he was involved in several theaters of operation, and worked with civil authorities and civilian populations to lessen the impact of military operations during times of conflict and national disasters.

Commissioned as an Artillery Officer in 1985, Mr. Menegon attended the Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and served in Germany as a Fire Support Officer and Mortar Platoon Leader in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment and 4th Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. After graduating from the Officers advanced course, he became a Civil Affairs Officer assigned to the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion and was mobilized to support Operation Sea Signal, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, managing 50,000 Cuban and Haitian refugees. He served in NATO peacekeeping operations during Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo; he also served in the American Embassy in Amman, Jordan.

Mr. Menegon served multiple combat tours in Iraq and was the Deputy Team Commander on the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, reporting to the United States Department of State.

He earned numerous awards and medals, including the Combat Action Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (with 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (with Oak 3 Leaf Clusters), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star), Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, as well as several others.

He served on Community Board 8, creating the Veterans Affairs Committee, and as a United War Veterans Council board member, an organization dedicated to mobilizing our communities to honor, support, and serve America’s veterans.

Mr. Menegon has mentored young people for over 25 years as Commandant of the Knickerbocker Greys, an after-school youth organization established in 1881. This has been his proudest legacy. His involvement with the Greys has allowed him to train multiple generations of Cadets in leadership, motivation, empathy, patience, and self-confidence necessary to equip them as our future civic leaders.