Mike Lennon is the incoming Board Chairman for Purple Heart Homes. He is the son of Thomas P. “Tom” Lennon, Captain US Marine Corps and Patricia “Pat” Lennon. Tom served from 1944-63 including as the XO of H/3/5 in 1950 in Pusan, Inchon and Seoul Korea.

Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1978 and served as an anti-tank demolition man. He deployed as a sergeant in F/2/9 to WestPac during the Iran Hostage Crisis. While he was a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island South Carolina, he was selected for a commissioning program and sent to Auburn University to get his bachelor’s degree.

Mike graduated in 1985, was commissioned and attended The Basic School (TBS), Quantico, Virginia, then flight school at NAS Pensacola, Florida. He went to HMT-303 following flight school and learned to fly the AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter. Mike deployed to northern Iraq with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit/Special Operations Capable in 1991 for Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. Upon return from Iraq found himself with orders to Headquarters US Marine Corps.

Mike retired in 1998 and went into the technology industry as an account executive, industry expert and product development manager for Oracle, SAP and Salesforce.

Mike and his wife, Denise, live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.