Michael Barbosa

Michael Barbosa served in the US Army from 2001 to 2023. His military service included two deployments, one to Iraq in 2009 and another to Kuwait in 2016. After twenty-two years of service, Barbosa retired as a senior non-commissioned officer, achieving the rank of Sergeant First Class. 

Barbosa is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with R Device, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the NJ Distinguished Service Medal and the NJ Global War on Terrorism Medal. 

Barbosa grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey and enlisted in the Army at age seventeen, because he wanted to go to college and stay out of trouble. He explained it was either “go to the military or end up in jail.” After scoring well on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Barbosa chose to do Field Artillery and joined the 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment of the New Jersey Army National Guard. He attended basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. 

After completing basic training, Barbosa returned home just a few weeks before September 11, 2001. Following the terrorist attack, he was mobilized with the Guard to provide bridge and tunnel security at Newark Liberty International Airport. Barbosa’s unit, the 3/112th, deployed in 2004, but he was unable to go because he had not yet attended Advanced Individual Training (AIT). He would not attend AIT at Fort Lee until 2006.

In the years prior to his first deployment in 2009, Barbosa drilled with his Guard unit and attended college, earning a History degree from Kean University. Before deploying, he attended pre-mobilization training first at Fort Dix, then at Fort Hood. Barbosa recalled that his unit was at Fort Hood during the 2009 shooting by an Army psychiatrist, which took the lives of thirteen people and wounded dozens more, including a soldier in Barbosa’s unit.

From Fort Hood, Barbosa arrived in Kuwait for theater specific training before going to Iraq via plane. Once in Iraq, he first was sent to Camp Cobra, where he did convoy missions. His job was to haul construction equipment. Barbosa explained that the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was prevalent, even though vehicles were equipped with technology to detect them. After three months at Camp Cobra, he was sent to Camp Anaconda in Balad, where he worked in the Amnesty Yard. There, Barbosa took inventory and decided if the equipment could be reused or needed to be decommissioned. Additionally, he recalled there were constant mortar attacks at Camp Anaconda, so much so that the base was nicknamed “Mortaritaville.”

After a year-long deployment, Barbosa returned to the US and attended demobilization training at Fort Dix. He explained that it took nearly six months to reacclimate to “normal” life. Between his deployments, Barbosa worked for the Board of Education and earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration from Kean University. Prior to his deployment to Kuwait, he attended pre-mobilization training at Fort Leavenworth and Fort Hood. Once in Kuwait at Camp Arifjan, Barbosa did contract work for the Expeditionary Sustainment Command. He explained his job was to supply the “beans and bullets” for the Army. Barbosa returned to the States in 2017, landing in Fort Hood for demobilization. He medically retired in 2023.

While reflecting on his time in service, Barbosa explained that despite the fact there are challenges and drawbacks to military service, it is very beneficial. He recalled that he enjoyed being a leader and helping other people. Barbosa concluded his interview stating, “Cherish the time you do have.”

Additional Resource:

• Army Times – The Mass Shooting at Fort Hood