Last Known Activity:
Vice Admiral Michael Christian Colley, USN Retired
VADM Michael C. Colley, born in Wheaton, Minnesota, on 19 February 1938, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on 19 January 2013. Colley received a Congressional appointment from Beaverton, OR, and graduated with distinction on 8 June 1960 as a member of the Third Company. Following graduation, he married Arlen Schneider from his high school class and served on PRICHETT (DD-561) from which he was selected for submarines and the Navy Nuclear Program with training at Mare Island and Idaho Falls, and special training at Westinghouse. He subsequently served on JAMES MADISON (SSBN-627) and CASIMIR PULASKI (SSBN-633) before attending Naval Postgraduate School. After a tour as Executive Officer of SUNFISH (SSN-649), he servedon Admiral Rickover’s staff at Naval Reactors for three years and then as Commanding Officer of NARWHAL (SSN-671). He subsequently served as Director, Division of Mathematics and Science at the Naval Academy; Commanding Officer of PROTEUS (AS- 19) on Guam with deployments to Diego Garcia and Freemantle; and Commander Submarine Squadron TWO. After selection to flag in 1984, he served as PERS-6 Ombudsman; Commander, Naval Recruiting Command; Deputy Commander, Submarine Division OPNAV; and Commander Submarine Forces, Pacific. Selected for Vice Admiral, he completed his active duty as Deputy CINC, US Strategic Command in Omaha, NE.
Admiral Colley’s personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal with gold star, the Legion of Merit with three gold stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal with gold star.
Michael loved his country and enjoyed its sights; he and Arlen particularly enjoyed traveling about the country in motor homes. He was an enthusiastic and dedicated golfer, history buff, and libertarian.
After retiring from the Navy in March 1994, he returned to Springfield, VA, where he was active in the national security policy and analysis field. He conducted an extensive study of military power projection, the future of warfare, the U.S. infrastructure protection and homeland security, international nuclear material smuggling, and the identification and characterization of worldwide underground facilities.
Arlen, his wife for more than 40 years, died in 2001 and, shortly thereafter, Michael retired to Gulf Shores, Alabama. He is survived by his two daughters, Kendall Colley of Fairfax, VA, and Allison (Bruce) Bollschweiler of Thornton, CO; two grandsons, Calvin and Mark Bollschweiler; and a brother, Dane Lundquist, of Colorado Springs, CO. He was cremated and interred alongside Arlen at Arlington National Cemetery.
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