Pearson joined the Army in 1972, trained as a paratrooper, and became an Airborne Ranger. Once, while serving in Germany, he had to parachute out of a plane at 500 feet when it developed engine trouble. This earned him membership in the “Caterpillar Club” because he met the requirement of making a jump to save his life.

 

In 1991, while a lieutenant colonel, he was commander of the Germany-based 793rd Military Police Battalion in charge of transferring prisoners of war during the first Gulf War against Iraq.

 

Two days after taking over as the commander of military police at Fort Hood in Texas, in 1994, then-Colonel Pearson was put in charge of setting up and operating a camp for more than 14,000 Haitian refugee “boat people” at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.

 

After serving 24 years in the U.S. Army, primarily as a military police officer, Pearson joined the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1997 as chief of field operations.

 

He was the executive associate commissioner for field operations, the agency’s number three position, until 2002. 

 

He then went to work for the U.S. Marshals Service as assistant director for asset forfeiture and management support divisions.

 

Pearson is married and has two sons.

 

Michael A. Pearson (U.S. Department of Justice)