Mike R. Vining (born August 12, 1950) is a retired sergeant major in the United States Army, who was one of the first members of Delta Force.

[1] From 1985 to 1986, he was assigned to the 176th Ordnance Detachment in Alaska, before being brought back to Delta from 1986 to 1992, taking part in the Gulf War, Operation Uphold Democracy, and serving as a demolitions expert during the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing.

[1] He has also written articles on naval postal history, for which he received the Joseph M. Hale Award for excellence in research.

[4] The photo of Vining in his Army Service uniform has become an internet meme, often to contrast his unassuming appearance with his military career or to be used as a reaction image.

"[6] SGM Vining earned the following throughout his military career:[7] In January 1999, he married Donna Ikenberry on Mauna Kea, in Hawaii.