Retired Col. David M. Casmus - The Heart and Soul of the Sea Dragons

By Maj. Troy S. FreyOctober 20, 2015

Retired Col. David M. Casmus - The Heart and Soul of the Sea Dragons
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Retired Col. David M. Casmus (left) attends the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command's 2012 St. Barbara's Day Ball on Dec. 6, 2012, in Honolulu. Casmus has been the honorary colonel for the 94th Air Defense Artillery Regiment since the reactivat... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Retired Col. David M. Casmus - The Heart and Soul of the Sea Dragons
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Retired Col. David M. Casmus (left) attends the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command's 2012 St. Barbara's Day Ball on Dec. 6, 2012 in Honolulu. Casmus has been the Honorary Colonel for the 94th Air Defense Artillery Regiment since the reactivati... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Retired Col. David M. Casmus - The Heart and Soul of the Sea Dragons
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Retired Col. David M. Casmus is the president, Casmus Consulting, an independent business consulting company. Casmus served over 24 years in the United States Army and has been the Honorary Colonel for the 94th Air Defense Artillery Regiment since th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Retired Col. David M. Casmus has been the Honorary Colonel for the 94th Air Defense Artillery Regiment since the reactivation of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command 10 years ago on Oct. 16, 2005, at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

Casmus has a distinguished military career and served in the United States Army for over 24 years, retiring in January, 2001. However, he does not hide his affinity towards the Sea Dragons and the legacy that he has been a part of.

"I have served in this regiment at the battalion level, operations officer and executive officer, and at the brigade level, operations officer and commander," shares Casmus. "I have very deep affection for this regiment, it's not that I don't love the other units/regiments I served with and commanded, but you know there is only one number one, and that designation goes to the 94th ADA Regt."

The 94th ADA Regt. has a long history and Casmus has been an integral part of that history. He has seen the 94th change from a "pure Nike Hercules ADA Group," to a composite brigade of Patriot, Hawk, and Chaparral -Vulcan-Stinger battalions, then reorganized into a pure Patriot brigade, and currently the 94th AAMDC.

"The common thread from the beginning through all these changes was excellence!" states Casmus. "I am convinced that there is something special about wearing the unit patch with the red Sea Dragon holding a sword on the bottom and two yellow arrows on the top that just makes everyone associated with the 94th ADA Regt. accomplish all their missions with excellence always foremost in their mind."

Casmus was the commander of the 94th ADA Bde. when it was inactivated on Aug. 15, 1998 in Germany and he participated in the activation ceremony of the 94th AAMDC. He shares his feelings associated with each event.

"Well other than losing a Soldier or Family member, the saddest day of my career was the day I stood on the parade field in Darmstadt, Germany and cased the colors of the 94th ADA Bde., and then watched 'my' battalions leave the field under the flag of the 69th ADA Bde.

"When Brig. Gen. John Seward, the first commander of the 94th AAMDC, invited me to be present, and say a few words at the activation ceremony seven years later, I probably could have flown to Hawaii without the airplane; I was so delighted and excited," expresses Casmus.

Being the Honorary Colonel of the 94th ADA Regt. has allowed Casmus to maintain his allegiance to the Sea Dragons. He is grateful for the opportunity and can barely contain his enthusiasm when speaking about the honor.

"I owe a great debt of gratitude to Brig. Gen. [Ret.] John Seward for inviting me to the activation ceremony and to be able to witness the uncasing of the red Sea Dragon and yellow arrows. It was during that activation ceremony that he asked me to serve as the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. Trust me I was honored and humbled to accept his offer to serve the regiment and her Soldiers again.

"I was equally humbled by all the commanders who followed in his footsteps and kept me on the job. You may not know this, but the honorary colonel serves at the discretion of the commanding general. As each new CG came into command they all asked me to stay on and serve. Gosh, was I the luckiest retired colonel in the world or what? That's almost better than winning the lottery!"

All good things must come to an end. This past June, Casmus tendered his resignation to Brig. Gen. Eric L. Sanchez, commander, 94th AAMDC.

Casmus states, "The reason was simple - timing. I was truly honored to be the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment these past 10 years, but you know what, the 94th AAMDC has its own legacy of great leaders that can ably serve in this capacity ... I would hate to deny another great leader the opportunity to experience what I have experienced."

"Col. [Ret.] Casmus is the heart and soul of the Sea Dragons and will truly be missed," says Sanchez. "He has meant so much to the 94th. He has a wealth of knowledge about the unit and works tirelessly behind the scenes to help us in any way he can."

"What I will miss most about not being the Honorary Colonel of the 94th ADA Regt. is the opportunity to interact with the Soldiers and leaders," reflects Casmus. "I have been assured that the welcome lamp will remain lit for me in the 94th AAMDC, so the onus is now on me to stay connected."

Casmus shares some sage advice from one of his mentors and the reason he will always be a Sea Dragon at heart.

"Excellence is the mantra of this organization. My mentor and role model when I was on active duty was one of the greatest ADA generals of all time, Maj. Gen. Donald R. Infante. He was a great teacher and leader. He always told me, 'Good units do some things well, and great units do everything well!' I can assure you the 94th AAMDC is a great unit by any standard of measurement!"