Bio

Major James Taylor enlisted in the Army in October 1986. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of Field Artillery following graduation from Officer Candidate School in December 1999. Major Taylor retired from the Army in April 2017 and is currently the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Senior Army Instructor at Mid-Carolina High School. 

Major Taylor’s previous key assignments include: Sentinel, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), Fort Myer, Virginia; Platoon Sergeant, Charlie Company, 3-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Platoon Leader, Echo Battery, 2-15 Field Artillery Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York; Battery Commander, 4-42 Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Battalion Executive Officer, 2-393 Infantry, First Army, Fort Hood, Texas; Deputy Fire Support Officer, U.S. Army Central, Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, South Carolina. 

Major Taylor has multiple tours to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, to Saudi Arabia as a Combat Advisor to the Saudi Arabian National Guard, and to Kuwait, Jordan, and Oman in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. 

Major Taylor’s awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal (2), Meritorious Service Medal (4), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal (Three Campaign Stars), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (Two Bronze Service Stars), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Ranger Tab, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge.  Major Taylor is also a professional bodybuilder having earned his pro status in 2018 in the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) Professional League. 

Major Taylor is married, and he and his wife Angie have two sons Justin and Dylan. He is a native of Tazewell, Tennessee.