Lieutenant Colonel Colin J. Culkin grew up in Texas, Virginia, and Ohio. He was commissioned in May 2006 and reported to Quantico, Virginia for Basic Officer's Course, graduating with honors in December. Following graduation, he attended Naval Flight School at NAS Pensacola, Florida, and was designated a Naval Aviator in September 2008.
Following training in the AH-1W helicopter, Lieutenant Colonel Culkin was assigned to MCAS Camp Pendleton, California. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with HMLA-367 from November 2009 to April 2010. After volunteering for transfer to HMLA-469, he attended Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) and deployed again in support of OEF from April to November 2012. During this tour, he held various billets in squadron and group maintenance and operations departments.
Lieutenant Colonel Culkin then transferred to 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company aboard Camp Pendleton, where he advised joint, partner, and multinational formations at the company, battalion, and brigade echelons. During this tour he graduated from Tactical Air Control Party School and WTI Air Officer Course. From May to November 2014, he deployed to to Afghanistan and conducted combat operations with a special operations taskforce.
Upon redeployment, Lieutenant Colonel Culkin was selected for the Olmsted Scholar Program. He attended Mandarin Chinese Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California from June 2015 to June 2016, after which he and his wife moved to China. During this assignment, Lieutenant Colonel Culkin studied at Xiamen University and traveled extensively throughout China and the Indo-Pacific. In July 2018 he returned to the US and was subsequently assigned to MAG-39 aboard MCAS Camp Pendleton. After converting to the AH-1Z, he checked in to HMLA-169 where he served as Logistics Officer, Operations Officer, and Executive Officer, and completed a Unit Deployment Program to Okinawa, Japan from April to November 2019.
Lieutenant Colonel Culkin was transferred to the Pentagon and worked as an aviation budget and requirements analyst for the Director of Air Warfare in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from January 2021 until June 2023. In July 2024, he was assigned to MAG-26 aboard MCAS New River, North Carolina and began training in the MV-22B in preparation for squadron command of VMM-261. Lieutenant Colonel Culkin took command of VMM-261 on November 15, 2024.
Lieutenant Colonel Culkin received a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University, a Master of Law from Xiamen University in China, a Master of Business Administration from New England College, and a Master of Strategic Studies from Marine Corps University. He has 2,250 mishap-free flight hours, holds every flight leadership and instructor designation in the AH-1, and is an Air Officer Weapons and Tactics Instructor. He is a graduate of Expeditionary Warfare School and Command and Staff College via distance education and is a distinguished graduate from Marine Corps War College. His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Strike/Flight Numeral Ten, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and two Gold Stars in lieu of third award, the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.