Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mauricio Garcia, a Black Hawk pilot assigned to the Security Assistance Commandâs Fort Bragg-based training unit, the Security Assistance Training Management Organization, was born in MedellÃn, Colombia.
Now, in a military career spanning more than 20 years and the armies of two countries, Garciaâs career has serendipitously come full circle.
Part 1 recap
Garcia grew up dreaming about flying, but knew his parents could not afford flight school. At 16, he enrolled in a military officer academy, hoping to join the Colombian Army as an aviator.
That never happened. Instead, he became an infantry officer, leading soldiers in the fight against insurgents in the rugged jungles of Colombia for months at a time.
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BOGOTÁ – As Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mauricio Garcia and his Colombian safety officer counterpart walk the flight line at a Colombian Army base, inspecting for safety hazards and violations,
FORT BRAGG, N.C. â The Security Assistance Training Management Organizationâs commander, Col. Scott Malone, relinquished command to Lt. Col Alex Duran at a relinquishment of command ceremony May 7.
Brig. Gen. Douglas Lowrey, commander of the Security Assistance Command, officiated the ceremony, passing the unit colors to Duran, until Maloneâs replacement, Col. Andrew Clark, arrives in August.
Malone, who is moving to another assignment, focused his remarks on the efforts of the SATMO team, which he called the SATMO family, and leadership of the SATMO senior enlisted adviser, Command Sgt. Maj. Brad Owens.
âIf I could take Command Sgt. Maj. Owens, and this entire team with me anywhere I go, I would absolutely bring them with me,â Malone said. âThis team accomplishes more with an incredibly small organization than division-sized elements all day long. We might be doing tactical level training but it absolutely has operational and strategic level impact.
BOGOTÁ – During a recent key leader engagement visit to Colombia, Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice, the senior enlisted adviser at Security Assistance Command, saw firsthand how the foreign military