Chaplain Michael Bell is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was a direct commission as a captain and re-entered active duty in January 2018. He holds a Master of Divinity Degree from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, in Richmond, Virginia, and Master of Arts in Religious Studies Degree, concentration in Biblical Languages from The Howard University School of Theological Consortium in Washington, DC. He received the Master Studies Certification in Islamic and Christian Scriptures from the Washington Theological Consortium in Washington, DC, and is currently in his second year of a Doctor of Philosophy program in International/Cultural Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, holding a 4.9 cumulative G.P.A.
Chaplain Bell’s military education and schools include Chaplain Basic and Advanced Officer Leader Courses in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and Combat/Emergency Medical Ministry Course in Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea.
In 1999, he enlisted in the Army and attended basic combat training at Fort Benning, Georgia, as a 91B combat medic. He completed Advanced Individual Training as a 91C Licensed Practical Nurse at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and later assigned to Eisenhower Medical Hospital in Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC as the Noncommisioned Officer in Charge of the General Surgery and Same-Day Surgery Wards, respectively. While at WRAMC he successfully challenged the NCLEX-RN and operated as the only enlisted with RN privileges. He was also selected as a first responder team lead to the Pentagon on 9/11 and spent the first 72 hours of the attack on-site as a field clinic NCOIC and S/R Team.
Chaplain Bell’s initial assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1ST Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. From 2018 to 2019 he served as the battalion chaplain on rotation in the Republic of Korea. In 2019 he was nominative assigned to the 1st Recruiting Brigade Chaplain position, providing ministry to a unit geo-dispersed, consisting of eight battalions, 49 companies, one European detachment, 273 recruiting centers, with over 2,700 soldiers, their families, and DOD civilian personnel from Virginia to Maine in 13 states, the District of Columbia, and Europe. In August of 2020 he assumed his role as the deputy brigade chaplain after the addition of a brigade chaplain and an additional Religious Affairs Specialist taking the team from two personnel to a four personnel Unit Ministry Team.
Chaplain Bell currently serves as the battalion chaplain for the 54th Strategic Signal Battalion, based in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. His units are geo-dispersed though Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Chaplain Bell’s awards and decoration include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Medal, and The Army Service Ribbon.
Chaplain Bell is an ordained Baptist minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention. His hobbies include Jazz, CrossFit, Mixed Martial Arts and learning languages.