DES MOINES, Iowa- On May 25, 2012, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Col. Arlan M. DeBlieck for promotion to brigadier general and command of the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), which is an Army Reserve unit located in Des Moines, Iowa. DeBlieck is the first Iowan selected to command the 103rd ESC.
DeBlieck enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1979, was commissioned a second lieutenant in March 1985, and transferred to the Army Reserve in March 2000. In September 2011, he became the deputy commanding officer for the 103rd ESC until assuming command of the unit in April 2012.
DeBlieck is a 1979 graduate of Riverdale High School in Port Byron, Ill. He is also a graduate of Illinois State University, Normal, Ill., and he received an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
DeBlieck deployed to Iraq in 2003 and again from 2009 to 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also deployed to Afghanistan from 2006 to 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
DeBlieck currently resides in Indianola, Iowa, with his wife, Carrie Michelle, and their four sons.