Mr. Leslie M. Young, a native of Washington, is the Program Director and will direct the sequence of events for AVB-VA 2017 in Fredericksburg, VA. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1976. He has been in active and reserve components for 36 years. He attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. His assignments included the 9th Military Police Company, Joint Base Lewis-McChord; 296th Military Police Company, JBLM; 6TH MP Group CID; and as commander of the 315th MP Detachment (CID), Fort Lawton, Washington. He became a Special Agent for the Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) in 1982 and was commissioned as a Warrant Office in 1984. He was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer Five in 2006.
He was activated in 1991 to serve with CID’s Protective Service Unit (PSU) during Operation Desert Storm; in 2000 he deployed to Kosovo during Operation Joint Guardian; and in 2003 he was mobilized once more to PSU, culminating in his selection as the first Army Reserve Soldier to perform the duties of Unit Operations Officer. In that position, he was responsible for the activities of 168 agents who protected Department of Defense senior leaders.
He was activated again in 2009 for a tour with the Department of Defense Criminal Investigation Task Force (CTIF), 701st Military Police Group (CID). He served as the Operations Officer for CTIF’s Guantanamo Bay, Cuba unit and then as its Resident Special Agent in Charge. In November 2010, he returned to CTIF Headquarters in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and served as the Chief of J3, Operations, and the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of Investigation. As the SAC, he was responsible for the Major Case Division.
His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Five Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 30-year device, Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon with Five Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal Army Service Ribbon, Secretary of Defense Badge, NATO Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, and the American Spirit/Honor Medal.
Mr. Young served with the Washington State Patrol for three decades before retiring as an Assistant Chief in 2010. He began his career in 1980 as a trooper cadet and was commissioned as a trooper in 1983. He was promoted to sergeant in 1995, lieutenant in 2000, captain in 2001 and Assistant Chief in 2005. He is a 2007 graduate of the FBI National Academy.
He’s married to Karen Thompson-Young and has two sons, Jason and Jeffrey.