Colonel Todd Hanks will join the ranks of a distinguished group of inductees in Smithville Schools Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame. A reception and ceremony will be held on Friday, September 20, 2024, during Homecoming.
Smithville Schools Wall of Fame honors some of the district’s most outstanding graduates who have distinguished themselves and contributed to society in an exemplary fashion. Their success serves as motivation and inspiration to all associated with the district.
Todd Hanks graduated from Smithville High School in the Class of 1995. Hanks embarked on his journey as a ROTC cadet, and was sworn into the U.S. Army in 1999. Throughout his career, COL Hanks has demonstrated unwavering commitment and exemplary leadership in various key roles. He deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2006.
Post-deployment, COL Hanks continued to excel, serving as the battalion S4 and Property Book Officer with the United Nations Command Security Battalion-Joint Security Area in South Korea. He later served as a battalion Logistics Advisor in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and joined the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he played crucial roles as the Support Operations Officer and battalion Executive Officer, deploying to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2012. His command tenure also included a deployment in support of Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve to Iraq and Syria in 2017.
On June 24, 2022, COL Hanks took Command of the 599th Transportation Brigade located at Wheeler Airfield at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. The Brigade’s mission is to provide surface deployment and distribution services in order to project and sustain forces throughout the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations and globally as required. Not only does the command fulfill obligations in the Pacific, they also make a difference in the worldwide contingency operations of Desert Storm and Desert Shield to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and it brings relief to people through disaster relief programs and humanitarian shipments.
COL Hanks holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His military education is extensive, including completion of the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, Combined Logistics Captains Career Course, Combined Arms Service Staff School, Joint Course on Logistics, US Army Command and General Staff College, Joint Combined Warfighter Course (JPME II), and the US Army War College Fellowship at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, Australia.
His outstanding service has earned him awards and decorations including the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Achievement Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism, Iraqi and Afghanistan Campaign Medals, Parachute Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Parachute Rigger Badge.
COL Todd Hanks' service to our country is remarkable, and has earned a well-deserved place in the Smithville School District Wall of Fame.