CPS Features Prominent FBI Career Person Craig Bates as Distinguished Alumni Speaker

The Career Placement Services Office at Jacksonville State University is presenting a Distinguished Alumni Speaker Lecture Series program this year featuring prominent graduates of the university who are leaders in their field. The objective of this lecture series is to inspire and motivate students to excel in their academic pursuits and be conscientious in their career moves taking advantage of opportunities such as job internships in order to achieve success in their chosen careers.

The Distinguished Alumni Speaker Lecture Series program is a major part of the "My Career, My Success, My JSU" package sponsored and promoted by the Career Placement Services Office.  The lecture series also facilitates and promotes the participation of alumni in activities that support the University’s overall pursuit of excellence.

Career Placement is featuring JSU Alumnus R. Craig Bates as the speaker in their next distinguished alumni lecture series on Tuesday, April 8 in Brewer Hall - Room 141 beginning at 9:15 a.m.  Criminal Justice majors are welcomed.

Mr. Bates attended Jacksonville State University on an ROTC scholarship and graduated on April 30, 1982 with a double major in Law Enforcement and Military Science.  Mr. Bates was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army upon graduation and served on active duty in the Army until July, 1988 ultimately obtaining the rank of Captain.  He received the Combat Infantry Badge, Ranger Tab, Expert Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge and Pathfinder Badge. 

 

On 08/22/1988, Mr. Bates entered duty as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Mr. Bates was initially assigned to the Washington Field Office (WFO) and assigned to the SCOTBOM Task Force responsible for investigating the 12/21/1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.  Mr. Bates conducted investigations in conjunction with Scottish Detectives in Valletta, Malta, Lockerbie, Scotland and Togo, West Africa.  Mr. Bates was also a member of the WFO SWAT Team.  He received a substantial cash award and Letter of Commendation from the Director of the FBI.

 

From August 1992 to October 1998 Mr. Bates served on the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT).  On the HRT he served as a sniper, sniper Assistant Team Leader and sniper Team Leader.  Mr. Bates participated in the stand-off with the Branch Davidians at Waco, TX, served in an undercover capacity prior to the Freemen stand-off in Jordan, Montana and participated in several overseas counterterrorism assignments.     

 

Mr. Bates was the Operations Officer of the Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU) from October 1998 until August 2001.  At the HMRU, Mr. Bates was involved with Weapons of Mass Destruction (chemical, biological and nuclear) violations. 

 

In August 2001, Mr. Bates was reassigned to the HRT.  Following the terrorist attacks of 09/11/2001, Mr. Bates was selected as the FBI’s Counterterrorism representative to U.S. Central Command’s Special Operations Command from November 2001 through April 2002 and was deployed to Qatar, Afghanistan, Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, Bahrain, and Kuwait.  From November 2002 through May 2003, Mr. Bates was temporarily reassigned from the HRT to the FBI Counterterrorism Division requiring extensive travel to Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.  Mr. Bates received an award from the Intelligence Community and the Director of the FBI for his contributions to this effort.

           

From January 2004 to October 2005, Mr. Bates served as the Deputy Unit Chief of the Fly Team Unit in the FBI Counterterrorism Division.  During this assignment, Mr. Bates deployed as a Team Leader or On-Scene Commander of FBI investigators in Afghanistan, Jordan, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. 

 

Since October 2005, Mr. Bates has served as the Program Manager of the FBI’s Personnel Recovery (PR) Program in the Critical Incident Response Group where he continues to expand the Bureau’s PR Program to mitigate the hazards faced by FBI personnel abroad.