Lt. Col. Johnathon Moon Kupka, U.S.
Army Special Forces, is the son of
a Korean War refugee, Moonbeam
Kupka, and a former American Army
officer. Only 42, he commands the
Army’s largest battalion—more than
6,000 soldiers.
A graduate of Pacific Lutheran
University, Kupka earned a Ph.D.
in political science from the
University of Kansas in 2015 for a
dissertation exploring the “warrior
class” in the armed services and
the way society perceives and
stereotypes the military. Twice
stationed in Korea, Kupka is
proficient in the language.