User:Michael.gruber173

The Reverend Michael Gruber
Personal details
Born	Michael James Gruber (1990-04-18) April 18, 1990 St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S.
Spouse	Sarah Heins ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	Roland Henry David
Education	Crown College (B.A.) Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.) Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary (Th.M.)
Occupation	Minister writer chaplain
Civilian awards	Full list
Website	Official website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	2008–2013
Rank	Sergeant
Units	173rd Airborne Brigade 82nd Airborne Division
Wars	War in Afghanistan
Military awards	Combat Action Badge Parachutist Badge Army Commendation Medal
Religious life
Religion	Christian
Denomination	Baptist (Converge)
Creed	Calvinism Reformed Protestantism
Ordination	August 2020
Senior posting
Post	Chaplain at St. Cloud VA Health Care System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Period in office	2020–present

Michael James Gruber (April 18, 1990 - ) was an American Christian minister, chaplain, and writer.

Gruber was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota. After serving on active duty as a paratrooper in the United States Army during the War in Afghanistan, he returned to Minnesota and became an ordained minister, where he began a career as a chaplain for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Early life and military service (1990–2019)

Michael James Gruber was born on April 18, 1990 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He was the son of James Gruber, a telephone lineman and utility worker, and Karen (Hesse) Gruber, a certified public accountant. Both his patrilineal and matrilineal lines trace back to German immigrants who settled in central Minnesota between the 1850s and 1870s. Gruber spent his childhood in central Minnesota, and he attended Technical High School in St. Cloud from 2004 to 2008.

War in Afghanistan

After graduating from Technical High School, Gruber enlisted in the United States Army as a forward observer. After a period of training, including graduating the United States Army Airborne School, he was assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron (Airborne), 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade in Schweinfurt, Germany, reporting in January 2009. Gruber deployed to Logar Province, Afghanistan in November 2009 before returning to Schweinfurt in November 2010. He was then reassigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina in February 2011. He again deployed to Afghanistan in May 2011, this time to Faryab Province, before returning to Fort Bragg in March 2012.

Gruber was regularly engaged in combat during both of his deployments, conducting numerous foot patrols and coordinating fire support assets such as artillery, mortars, and close air support. By the end of his service, he had reached the rank of sergeant, performed 15 static line jumps, and was also the graduate of numerous schools, such as the long range marksmanship course and the joint fires observer course. Gruber was honorably discharged in January 2013, and he returned to Minnesota.

Gruber's experiences in the Army shaped him profoundly, leading him to say that it was the "most definitive and important period" of his life.

Marriage

Gruber met Sarah Heins in St. Cloud after attending a Minnesota Twins baseball game in April 2012 while he was on leave. They maintained a long-distance relationship while Gruber served the remainder of his Army contract in Fort Bragg. After he was discharged and returned to Minnesota, they became engaged in September 2013. They married in May 2014 and had three children. Sarah was a graduate of St. Cloud State University, and worked in her professional life as a registered nurse in public health nursing.

College and seminary years

After his military service, Gruber used his G.I. Bill to enroll at Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, a small Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He graduated summa cum laude in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biblical and theological studies. Immediately after, he attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts and graduated cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree in 2019. Two of the Grubers' children, Roland and Henry, were born in Massachusetts while he was attending the seminary.

Gruber credits Christianity as helping him reintegrate into civilian life after his military service, and spoke highly of his time at both institutions. Gruber was theologically Calvinist.

Federal service (2019–present)

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell, Gruber moved his young family back to central Minnesota, and began a clinical pastoral education residency at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System in October 2019. He was then ordained as a minister by Converge, a Baptist denomination, in August 2020. He was appointed as a full-time chaplain at the St. Cloud VA in December 2020. Gruber also continued his education, attending Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary in January 2022, and he received a Master of Theology degree in 2025. The Grubers' third son, David, was also born in St. Cloud in February 2024.

Awards and decorations

Military awards

Gruber was awarded the following awards and decorations during his military service:

Right breast	Left breast
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
German Army Bronze Parachutist Badge	Combat Action Badge
Army Meritorious Unit Commendation with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster	Army Commendation Medal
	Army Achievement Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters	Army Good Conduct Medal	National Defense Service Medal
	Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal	NCO Professional Development Ribbon
	Army Service Ribbon	Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral Three	NATO Medal for Service with ISAF
	Parachutist Badge with 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment background trimming		Expert Marksmanship Badge with Carbine Component Bar

Other accoutrements
	1 Service stripe		173rd Airborne Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service
	4 Overseas Service Bars		82nd Airborne Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service