Colonel John William McGuinness was commissioned Infantry on 25 June 1963 upon graduation from OCS. His first assignment after commissioning was as a Tactical Officer at the 50th Company OCS, Fort Benning, GA. | His subsequent assignments included: Executive Officer, 50th Company OCS; Airborne Instructor, Company K, USAIS, MI Section Chief, 441st INTC Det, 1st SF, Okinawa; Special Operations, US MAC (Special Opns), Vietnam; AREA Intelligence Instructor, USAINTS, Fort Holabird, MD; Military Advisor, Kingdom of Laos; Deputy G2, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY; BDE S2, 3rd BDE (ABN), 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY; Battalion Executive Officer, 1st 503rd Infantry, Fort Campbell, KY; Gp Operations Officer, USA Opns Gp, Fort Meade, MD; G2, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY; Battalion Commander, 311th MI Battalion, Fort Campbell, KY; Bde Commander, 207th MI BDE, Ludwigsburg, Germany. | Colonel McGuiness has completed the following schools: Airborne, Ranger, Intelligence Advance Course, Laotian Language School, Naval Command and Staff College, Air Assault, U.S. Army War College. | His military awards and decorations include: Bronze Star w/V Device, Meritorious Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal w/3 Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal w/4 Oak Leaf Cluster, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal w/2 Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Vietnam Commendation Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Wings, Air Assault Badge, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab.