Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs
Benjamin Collins

Biography

Benjamin (“Ben”) Collins, of Lake Geneva, was nominated in May, 2011 to the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs by Governor Scott Walker, and was confirmed by the state Senate in June, 2011, to serve a six-year term.

Ben is a U.S. Army veteran (Green Beret) who completed multiple combat rotations in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

He attended the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., graduating in 2000 with a degree in Political Science. In May of 2000 he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant, Infantry. During his first tour with the 25th Infantry Division, Ben was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and took command of an Infantry Platoon with a regional responsibility of the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Ben then moved to the Intelligence Community and became the Intelligence Operations Officer in the battle command center with the responsibility of providing timely, accurate, and predictive intelligence analysis to the Division Commander.

In 2002, he was assigned to Special Operations Command and deployed to Qatar in order to assist in the planning for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Prior to the invasion, at the close of 2002, Ben left the dry heat of the desert for the cold mountains of Afghanistan.

In 2003, Ben was selected to become a Special Forces Officer. After eighteen months of training and language school to learn Arabic, Ben earned his Green Beret and took command of a Special Forces Detachment and prepared for deployment back to Afghanistan.

Completing multiple combat rotations in support of the Global War on Terror, Ben concluded his Army service as an Operations Officer for a Special Forces Battalion, managing all the daily combat operations and providing detailed mission and contingency planning for over 150 Special Forces Soldiers.

Ben left active duty in November of 2008. Wishing to continue to serve as a Green Beret Officer, Ben joined the 20th Special Forces Group. Ben is currently the Team Leader for the Special Forces Operational Detachment 2121.

He has been awarded the Parachutists Badge, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Army Commendation for Valor.

Following Ben’s release from active service he moved to the Chicago area and Lake Geneva, WI. Partnering with two other Special Forces Officers, Ben started a defense technology company, Aptus Technologies, committed to developing tools that enhance the warfighter’s capabilities.

Ben is married to Jamie Forbeck Collins, with one newborn daughter, Addison.

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