Mike serves on several veterans advisory boards for elected officials. He was recognized as the 2012 Veterans Business Champion by the Small Business Administration, and inducted into the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame. Since 2013, the Chamber has successfully lobbied and helped pass a number of laws promoting veterans workforce reintegration and access to healthcare in CT. Mike founded the CT Veterans Chamber of Commerce 501(c)6 organization in 2013. He served on a multi-agency cross-disciplinary working group chaired by the CT Dept of Veterans Affairs focusing on veteran reintegration, education, training, and workforce re-entry issues. Mike helped form a non-profit organization of military advisers in 2006 to help Iraqi interpreters immigrate to the United States, known nationally as Netroots: the List Project. In 2009, Mike founded the UConn Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, through which he has helped veterans start more than 140 businesses. Mike was also the first and at the time only American recognized by the Iraqi government by the Order of the Lion of Babylon. Mike’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal (with Valor device) (with gold star in lieu of 2nd award), the Purple Heart Medal, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, a Combat Action Ribbon, and numerous unit and campaign awards. As a result of his wounds, Mike has been medically retired. During the battle, Mike was wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade. The battalion spent 6 weeks in urban combat and accomplished a number of historical firsts for the Iraqi army. The battalion participated in OPERATION PHANTOM FURY, the 2nd Battle of Fallujah. After an initial 4-month training period, he led the Iraqi battalion in combat operations for 8 months.
His mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi army battalion trained by the US military. In March 2004, as a major, he deployed to Iraq for OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM II.
He served a second tour on recruiting duty in the northeastern US. He commanded two artillery batteries and served as a battalion assistant operations officer. He served as operations officer and executive officer of a Marine recruiting station. He deployed to Somalia for OPERATION RESTORE HOPE and to Haiti for OPERATION SUPPORT DEMOCRACY. Mike Zacchea was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1990. Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Biography
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