Dental Health Command Europe changes leadership

SEMBACH, Germany - Dental Health Command Europe said goodbye to its commander and welcomed another on Feb. 28.

U.S. Army Col. Tom Goksel assumed command of DHCE from Col. Manuel Pozo-Alonso who will retire later this year after more than 29 years of military service. Goksel’s previous assignment was the commander for Dental Health Activity Rheinland-Pfalz.

Members of the RHCE staff bid farewell to Pozo-Alonso who commanded RHCE since 2019.

Originally from Zamora, Spain, Pozo-Alonso received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery Degree from West Virginia University School of Dentistry in 1990. In 1999, he received a certificate in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics from Children’s National Medical Center, Georgetown University.

Pozo-Alonso’s military career encompasses more than 29 years of service, including 12 years of active service in the U.S. Navy, five years in the Navy Ready Reserves and 11 years in the U.S. Army. His tours of duty include Kingsville Naval Air Station, Texas, U.S. Naval Dental Center in Yokosuka, Japan, the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. and the Republic of Korea.

Goksel, the incoming DHCE commander, was commissioned in the Medical Service Corps after receiving his dental degree in 1992. Goksel’s previous assignments include a deployment to Iraq as Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for the 31st Combat Support Hospital in 2004 as well as assignments at Brooke Army Medical Center, Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the Fort Campbell Dental Health Activity.

DHCE provides sustained dental services in support of the forces in U.S. Army Europe, U.S. Army Central and U.S. Army Africa to enable readiness and conserve the fighting strength while caring for Families and Soldiers for Life.