Oliver Mintz was born and raised in New York. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1996 when he commissioned as an infantry officer. His first assignment was to Fort Hood and the First Cavalry Division. In 2001, Oliver left active duty but joined the Texas Army National Guard immediately following the attacks of September 11, 2001. He went on to serve as an active-duty National Guard officer for 20 more years, holding two battalion commands and culminating his career as the 36th Infantry Division Chief of Staff. He served four combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Kuwait, and retired in 2021 at the rank of Colonel.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree from West Point, he holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Tyler, a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law. He is a practicing lawyer and has lived in Killeen for 24 years.
Oliver has been active in the community for many years serving on the Finance Council at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, as the PTO President at Trimmier Elementary School, an active Band Booster at Killeen High School, and served on the Killeen High School Site-Based Decision-Making committee.