Lt. Col. Travis Young grew up in Millerstown, PA and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in 2008. He was commissioned as an Infantry officer and completed the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course and Ranger School at Fort Benning, GA. His first assignment was a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer in C Co (MOD), 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), Vicenza, Italy where he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lt. Col. Young was then assigned to 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF), GA, where he served as a Ranger Platoon Leader in B Co, 1/75th RGR RGT and as the Assistant Operations Officer in HHC, 1/75th RGR RGT. He deployed to Afghanistan multiple times in support of the Global War on Terror.
Following the Maneuver Captains Career Course, Lt. Col. Young was assigned to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY. Here, he completed two Company Commands as the commander for A Co, 4-31 IN and later the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) for 4-31 IN, where he deployed to Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror.
Following two Company Commands in 4-31 IN, Lt. Col. Young commanded the 10th Mountain Division Light Fighters School where he was responsible for a troop schoolhouse that executed Air Assault School, Rappel Master Course, Pre-Ranger Course, and Marksmanship / Breaching Courses.
Following his assignment at Fort Drum, Lt. Col. Young attended the Naval War College in Newport, RI to complete ILE. He earned a Master’s Degree in Strategic Defense Studies.
Lt. Col. Young then served as the Battalion Executive Officer in 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK and as the Brigade Operations Officer in 4-25 IBCT (Airborne).
Following his time in AK, Lt. Col. Young moved to the United States Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, FL where he served as the Counterterrorism and Counter-Violent Extremist Organizations Branch Chief for global synchronization of Special Operations Forces.
Lt. Col. Young is married to the former Kayli Ellingson of McMinnville, OR and they have one daughter, Grace (2), and expecting a second daughter this fall. The Young Family also includes three labrador retrievers - Chena, Ellie, and Caesar.