Colonel Bruce J. Wicks was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and graduated in 1964 from Lock Haven State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education. After graduating, he immediately enlisted in the Army as a Private and later enrolled in Officer Candidate School where he was commissioned in 1965 as a Second Lieutenant in Infantry. His first assignment after graduating from Airborne School was w/ the 196th Light Infantry Brigade where he served as a mortar platoon leader. | He accompanied the Brigade to Vietnam in 1966 where he served as a platoon leader and a company executive officer. Upon returning from Vietnam, Colonel Wicks was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.  There he commanded HHC, 82nd Aviation Bn.  He then returned to Vietnam assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group where he was an Operational ‘A’ Detachment Commander and an Operational ‘B’ Detachment S-2. Upon returning from overseas, he then completed Ranger School and in 1970 he became the Chief of the Tower Training Committee w/in the Airborne Department at Fort Benning, Georgia in charge of the second week of airborne training. Later in 1973, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group located in Panama.  There he was an Operational ‘A’ Detachment Commander (HAlabamaO), Operational ‘B’ Detachment Executive Officer and an HHC Company Commander.  In 1978 he became the Aide-de-Camp to the 6th Army Commander and he attended the University of Illinois where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Physical Education. Later in 1981, he was assigned to the U.S. Military Academy as an instructor in the Department of Physical Education. Following this tour, he was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group as the Deputy Commander. He later became the commander of the 7th Special Forces Support Battalion. In 1987 he became the commander of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights. From there he went overseas to Panama where he was the Operations Officer of the Special Operations Command South. He assumed the position of Commandant of the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School on 23 May 1990.