Mike Minder was born and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1963. He graduated from Wheeling Park High School in 1981. Mike served in the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Branc...view moreMike Minder was born and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1963. He graduated from Wheeling Park High School in 1981. Mike served in the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Branch as a morse code interceptor. He was later assigned to the Army Reserve, first as a radio operator in Special Forces, then as an operations sergeant in an engineer company. Mike also worked as a store detective and internal security manager for a major U.S. retailer. In 1995, he graduated from Bethany College, winning the Chapman Prize in History. In 1996, Mike finished third in a six-candidate race for Mayor of Wheeling.view less