CPT(P) Dana Mendes

CPT Dana Mendes grew up in southeastern Massachusetts and graduated from Hampshire College in 2014. He commissioned into the field artillery, with assignments as platoon leader, battery executive officer, fire direction officer, and battalion assistant S3 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

In 2018, he transitioned to military intelligence, serving as a signals intelligence officer, brigade assistant S2, and battalion S2 in the 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade from 2019 to 2022. From 2021 to 2022, he served as an intelligence advisor with primary duty in Poland, supporting and coordinating additional security force assistance missions throughout United States European Command.

From August 2022 to May 2024, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with a Master of Arts in military history. His ongoing Doctor of Philosophy research examines the interaction between U.S. Department of Defense and State Department personnel in military assistance missions in Latin America from 1958 to 1968.