Tracy A Sharp, age: 66 has been a Montana resident since 1966 and currently lives in Polson Montana. Tracy is married with four kids and seven Grandchildren.
Education:
- I graduated from Hot Springs and enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 17
- I was awarded a scholarship by the Air Force, and sent to Purdue University where I earned a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
- I obtained a Master’s Degree from the Army Command and Staff College at Leavenworth, Kansas
- In addition to countless other schools, I am a graduate of the Air Force War College
Professional Work Experience:
- I was commissioned and sent to pilot training; the B-1 Bomber became my primary weapons system.
- I served in five different combat zones to include two middle-east tours, and was awarded the Bronze Star while in Iraq
- As a staff officer, I was attached to the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE), worked on the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, was Chief of Open Skies for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and was the NATO representative in Vienna to the Dayton Accords Article IV talks between the five previously warring Balkan factions
- I was the country desk officer for: France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and for a while, Poland
- While serving in Iraq, I helped coordinate the Iraqi governments response to its war effort, served on several planning teams and led the ‘over watch effort’, and participated in the effort to target Iranian Revolutionary Guard Forces operating within Iraq
- Post military service, I helped stand-up Africa Command, wrote its first four posture statements, and attended House and Senate Armed Services Committee hearings with the four-star principle on a regular basis.
