Colonel John Kinton is currently serving as the Commander of the 194h Engineer Brigade in Jackson, TN. Colonel Kinton was appointed to his current position in August 2022.
His other previous key assignments include; Commander JTF Warrior – COVID 19 and Civil unrest response; Commander, 117th Military Police Battalion, Athens, TN; Lead planner for Resolute Castle TY 2015 and 2016 USAREUR Overseas Deployment Training Exercise for over 4500 Army (Active/Reserve/National Guard), Navy, and Air Force service men and women in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Estonia in partnership with host nation military; BN Executive Officer, HHC 230th EN BN (Kuwait/Afghanistan) – 9 Engineer and Security Companies across Kuwait, Afghanistan, Bahrain, and Qatar; Theater Engineer Officer, 577th TSC (Kuwait) - Senior Engineer for TSC for projects in Kuwait and Iraq; O&T / West Region Commander, Recruiting and Retention Command – Responsible for Recruiting and Retention in West TN River and 36 recruiters; Commander,C/230th Engineer Battalion (Martin, TN).
Col. Kinton was born in Memphis, TN and is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Martin (Bachelors Degree- Economics / Finance) and the United States Army War College (Masters Degree- Strategic Studies).
His federal military service awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Gold Hourglass and M Device, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 2, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon with numeral 6, Parachutist Badge.
His state military service awards are the Army National Guard Basic Recruiting Badge, Tennessee National Guard Commendation Ribbon with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Tennessee National Guard Individual Achievement Ribbon with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Tennessee War Service Ribbon with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Tennessee Army National Guard Service Ribbon with one Silver 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Tennessee Army National Guard Volunteer Ribbon, Arizona National Guard Community Service Ribbon, West Virginia National Guard Emergency Service Ribbon, West Virginia National Guard State Service Ribbon, State of Tennessee Governor’s Meritorious Unit Citation, Tennessee National Guard Distinguish Unit Commendation, Tennessee National Guard Outstanding Unit Performance Commendation, Tennessee National Guard Volunteer Recruiting & Retention Unit Citation.
Col. Kinton is a member of several organizations including Vice Chair Region IV J3 Regional Alignment Council, Army War College Foundation, Army Engineer Association, National Guard Association of the United States, National Guard Association of Tennessee, Enlisted Association of the National Guard Tennessee, 194th EN BDE Officer Association.