Background Information on Colonel Michael B. Cates COL Michael B. Cates became Commander of the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine on Sept. 23, 2004. COL Cates was commissioned a Captain in 1980 after attending Texas A&M; University College of Veterinary Medicine in the Health Professions Scholarship Program. He was awarded Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Texas A&M; University and a Master of Public Health degree from University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX. His military education includes completion of the Army Medical Department Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. COL Cates is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He has served in various positions at Fort Bragg, NC; Kaneohe, HI; Fort Dix, NJ; Seoul, Korea; and Heidelberg, Germany. He served on the staff of Veterinary Command Headquarters, and his commands have included Tennessee Valley District Veterinary Command, Fort Campbell, KY, and Great Plains Regional Veterinary Command, Fort Sam Houston, TX. He assumed command of the 100th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service Headquarters), Heildelberg, Germany, in June 2002. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Sevice Medal (with four oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with one oak leaf cluster), Navy Commendation Medal, and Army Achievement Medal, and he is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.