Zachary Zandonai

Biography

Sergeant First Class Zachary Zandonai is a native to Rockford, Illinois. He enlisted in the Army in 2009 as a Combat Engineer. He graduated from One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri, to start off his tenure in the Army. Since then, he has completed Combatives Level 1, Route Clearance/Recon Operator, Route Recon/Clearance Sapper, Combat Life Saver Course, Sapper Leader Course, Army Basic Instructor and Small Group Instructor Training Course, Rappel Master Course, Urban Breacher Course, Equal Opportunity and Master Resiliency Course, and Basic, Advance, and Senior Leader Course.

SFC Zandonai has served as a Team Leader in Fort Riley, KS with 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division’s, Brigade Special Troops Battalion; Team Leader in Camp Hovey, South Korea in 1st Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division’s Brigade Special Troops Battalion; Squad Leader in Fort Riley, KS with 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division’s Brigade Engineer Battalion; 2nd Cavalry’s Regiment’s, Regimental Engineer Squadron in Grafenwoehr, Germany; Engineer Basic Officer Leader Course Instructor 1st Engineer Brigade’s 554th Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Platoon Sergeant and Operations Sergeant in 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division’s, 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in Fort Carson Colorado.

SFC Zandonai’s deployments include: one combat deployment to Iraq supporting Operations New Dawn with 1st Infantry Division; two rotations in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, with 2nd Cavalry Regiment; three rotations in support of Operation Assure, Deter, and Reinforce with both 2nd Cavalry Regiment and 4th Infantry Division.

SFC Zandonai’s awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal (6), Army Achievement Medal (8), National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (4), Army Good Conduct Medal (5) Combat Action Badge, German Armed Forces Badge “Schutzenscnur” (Gold), German Armed Forces Badge (Gold), Sapper Qualification Tab. He is also a recipient of the Engineer Regiment’s Steel de Fleury Medal.

SFC Zandonai, enjoys spending his free time traveling and visiting friends and family all over the world, spending time with his dog, and volunteering.