Description:
Colonel Michael T. Ruane, born in 1942 in the Bronx and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, career military officer, and dedicated public servant. The son of Irish immigrants, Ruane grew up in a working-class Catholic household. He attended Sacred Heart Grammar School, St. Peter’s Prep, and later Seton Hall University, where he joined the ROTC and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1963.
Ruane’s military career began with training at Fort Knox and a first overseas assignment in South Korea. In 1966, he deployed to Vietnam with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, a unit formed under the innovative “train-and-retain” model, which emphasized unit cohesion by deploying soldiers who had trained together. Initially serving as a company commander in Alpha Company, Ruane later took command of Charlie Company, leading his men through intense combat in War Zone C and Chu Lai.
Ruane’s experiences included fierce firefights, booby traps, and the psychological toll of combat. He was wounded in action and later served as a battalion operations officer. His service earned him the Bronze Star and other commendations.
After returning from Vietnam in 1967, Ruane was stationed at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Disillusioned by the Army’s personnel policies, he left active duty in 1968 but continued to serve in the Army Reserve and New Jersey National Guard, ultimately retiring as a colonel in 1993 after 30 years of service. His post-military career included roles in human resources and operations at Fort Monmouth, where he played a key role in emergency planning and base realignment.
Following his federal retirement, Ruane co-founded the James Thomas Group, a consulting firm specializing in emergency management and counterterrorism. Notably, he was conducting a terrorism preparedness exercise at Fort Monmouth on the morning of September 11, 2001. He later helped establish a regional force protection council and continued consulting for local governments and schools.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. In the 2024-2025 cycle, this grant assisted the ROHA staff in making this oral history available to you for your use.