FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 18, 2015) -- Command Sgt. Maj. Abel Tavera assumed responsibility of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation from Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos Olvera during a ceremony in the WHINSEC auditorium March 9.
Tavera said he didn't know anything about the Institute when he was first told he was coming, but in remarks at the ceremony, he called the assignment "a dream come true."
Tavera was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, enlisting in the U.S. Army in October 1986. He comes to the Institute from a tour as the command sergeant major of the 1st Battalion, 409th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Knox, Kentucky. He has been a Cavalry scout, a drill sergeant and senior drill sergeant, Scout platoon sergeant and senior ROTC instructor at Ohio State University.
At the sergeant major level, he has also been the Field Team Iraq sergeant major of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device and Defeat Organization, and command sergeant major of 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment.
His military training and education includes all levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System and other courses including Drill Sergeant School and Scout Platoon Leader Course.
Olvera is being considered for several senior enlisted advisor positions, both in the U.S. and overseas.
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