LtCol Bates enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 11, 2000 after graduating high school in Bedford Heights, Ohio. After completing basic training, he became an administrative clerk and transferred to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, California where he served with Headquarters and Service Battalion as an administrative clerk. His subsequent assignment was to Marine Security Guard Battalion, Echo Company, Frankfurt Germany where he provided administrative support to 15 Marine Security Guard detachments across Western Europe and Canada. In May of 2005, LtCol Bates was accepted into the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) and transferred to NROTC Houston Consortium to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in middle eastern studies at the University of Houston. During his time at university, he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant and upon completion of his degree, commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 2007.

Later that year, LtCol Bates was transferred to Quantico, Virginia to attend the Basic Officer Course, Infantry Officer Course, Scout Sniper School, and Ground Intelligence Officer Course (Damneck, Va). After successful completion of all training, he was awarded the military occupation of Ground Intelligence Officer and assigned to First Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California. During his time with the Division, he served as a Battalion Intelligence Officer, Scout Sniper Platoon Commander, Combined Anti-Armor Platoon Command, and Military Advisor. In 2009, he deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) where he was involved in Crisis response and contingency operations in the pacific and west Africa. In 2011, he also deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan where he was injured in combat by an improvised explosive device and transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to recover. While in recovery, LtCol Bates served as the Executive Officer, Commanding Officer, and Operations Officer of the Wounded Warrior Detachment in Bethesda, Maryland.

After completing his recovery in 2014, LtCol Bates was transferred to Expeditionary Warfare School as a student in Quantico, Virginia and subsequently assigned to Naples, Italy to serve as the Deputy Executive Assistant to the SIXTH Fleet commander and SIXTH Fleet Marine Expeditionary Unit exercise planner. After completing his tour in Italy, LtCol Bates was transferred to Marine Corps Intelligence Activity in 2017 where he served as the Operations Officer and Division Head for the Geospatial Intelligence Division as well as the Commanding Officer (Deputy M2X) of Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Company (M2X) where LtCol Bates provided full spectrum targeting and expeditionary intelligence support to deploying units, Joint Force, and the Marine Corps.

In 2020, LtCol Bates was transferred to Camp Lejeune, NC where he served as the Operations Officer and Executive Officer for the 2nd Radio Battalion and as the Division Head for the Intelligence Systems and Combat Development Integration Office for Marine Forces Special Operations Command. In 2023, LtCol Bates was transferred to Deputy Commandant, Information and served as the Intelligence Resource Directorate, POM Branch Head where he was responsible for resourcing the Marine Corps Intelligence Capabilities. LtCol Bates assumed command of Region 2, Marine Corps Embassy Security Group on 31 May 2024.