Spokesperson Bios

Major General “Mark” McDonald was commissioned in the Field Artillery in 1980 through the ROTC at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. After completing the Field Artillery Basic Course, his first duty assignment was with Battery D, 1st Battalion, Airborne 509th Infantry, Vicenza, Italy. He was then assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as an Infantry Battalion Fire Support Officer and commanded two batteries in the 82d Airborne Division. In 1987, MG McDonald served two years as an Exchange Officer to the Canadian Artillery School; then two years with the United States Army Field Artillery School.

After graduating from the Command and General Staff College, MG McDonald served as an Infantry Brigade Fire Support Officer in the 7th Infantry Division and Battalion Operations Officer for 2-8 Field Artillery. His commands include 3rd Battalion 321st FA and the 82d Airborne Division Artillery, involving operations in Iraqi Freedom. Staff positions include: duty at the George C. Marshall Center in Germany; two tours on the Department of the Army Staff, Pentagon, which also included a 6-month tour with SFOR in Bosnia; and Chief of Staff at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He also served as the Assistant Commandant of the Field Artillery School and Deputy Commanding General of Fort Sill. While stationed at Fort Hood, he served as the Deputy Commanding General–Fires for MNC-I and the Deputy Commanding General of III Corps and Fort Hood. In May 2009 he deployed from Ft. Hood overseas to become the Director, Security Agreement Secretariat/Deputy Commander, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, United States Forces Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom, until April of 2010. From April 2010 until November 2010 he was the Director, J3, United States Forces Iraq.

MG McDonald’s education includes a Bachelor of Science from University of Tennessee, Chattanooga; Master of Military Arts and Science from the Command and General Staff College; he is a Graduate of the United States Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Action Badge and U.S. Master Parachutist Badge as well as parachutists badges from Italy, Canada, and Germany.
He and his wife Connie have two children, Lance in Nashville, Tennessee and Lauren in Knoxville, Tennessee.