University of Colorado at Boulder, 1982
Hometown: Ithaca, NY
Inducted November 2010
Brigadier General Jeffrey N. Colt graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. As a Cadet, he represented the Golden Buffalo Battalion as one of 64 Cadets selected from across the nation to attend the U.S. Army Ranger School, Class 10-81, at Fort Benning, GA, earning the highly coveted Ranger Tab. As the top Cadet in the Battalion, he also represented the Corps at the prestigious General George C. Marshall Conference at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. Upon commissioning as an active duty Second Lieutenant, Brigadier General Colt completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course as well as the Army Initial Entry Rotary Wing Qualification Course, earning his wings as an Army scout and attack helicopter pilot. He is a 1995 graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, a 2005 graduate of the National War College, and holds a Master of Arts in both Management and National Security Affairs.
Brigadier General Colt has commanded at the company, troop, squadron, battalion, and brigade levels, serving with the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry at Fort Bragg, NC; 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell, KY, and the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade. He has also deployed in support of a number of combat and hazardous duty operations, including Prime Chance (Persian Gulf 1987/88), Just Cause (Panama 1989), Restore Hope (Somalia 1992/93), Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Iraqi Freedom.
Brigadier General Colt’s awards include the Distinguished Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with “V” Device, Army Commendation Medal, and Army Achievement Medal.
He formerly served as the Assistant Deputy Director, Strategy and Policy Branch, J-5, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. and now, since July 2009, commands the Joint Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence at Creech Air Force Base, NV.
Brigadier General Colt is married to the former Nancy Johnson from Clarksville, Tennessee with whom he has two sons, Hunter, 19, who attends the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA and Sam, 15, who is a sophomore at Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas, NV.