Lieutenant Colonel Pete Vangjel is the commander of the 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia. A native of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003 and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army.
Following the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School, Lt. Col. Vangjel was assigned to 2-504 PIR at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer from 2004-2006 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He then served as a Ranger Platoon leader in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from 2006-2009, deploying two times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and two times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After completing the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, Lt. Col. Vangjel was stationed at Camp Casey, Republic of Korea where he commanded Able Company, 2-9 Infantry (M) from 2009-2011. He then commanded Alpha Company, 5th Ranger Training Battalion in Dahlonega, Georgia, from 2011-1012 and served as the Battalion Operations Officer from 2012-2013.
From 2013-2016, Lt. Col. Vangjel participated in the Omar N. Bradley Fellowship attending Command & General Staff College, graduate studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and serving on the Joint Staff in the J-37 Deputy Directorate for Special Operations & Counterterrorism. He then served as Aide-de-Camp to the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem, Israel from 2015-2016. From 2016-2019, Lt. Col. Vangjel served in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, as a Division Training Plans Officer for the 25th Infantry Division, as the Battalion Operations Officer for 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, and as the Brigade Operations Officer for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Following this, he attended the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from 2019-2020. Lt. Col. Vangjel then served as the Branch Chief for the Future Operations & Plans Branch of the G35 Future Operations Directorate at U.S. Army Europe and Africa in Wiesbaden, Germany from 2020-2022. His last assignment was as the Deputy Chief of the Commanding General's Initiatives Group for US Army Europe and Africa, in Wiesbaden, Germany from 2022-2023.
Lt. Col. Vangjel’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal, Expert Infantryman Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in policy management from Georgetown University, and master’s degree in military operations from the School of Advanced Military Studies.