FORT CARSON, Colo. – A Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician assumed responsibility as the command sergeant major for the U.S. military’s premier all hazards command.
Command Sgt. Maj. David J. Silva became the senior enlisted leader for the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command during a combined 71st Ordnance Group (EOD) Change of Responsibility and 20th CBRNE Command Assumption of Responsibility ceremony on Fort Carson, Colorado, March 2.
Command Sgt. Maj. Randall C. Markgraf assumed responsibility for the 71st EOD Group “Raptors” from Silva during the first part of the ceremony. Originally from Ferris, Texas, Markgraf comes to the 71st EOD Group after serving as the command sergeant major for the 242nd EOD Battalion.
Silva assumed responsibility for 20th CBRNE Command during the second part of the ceremony.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Arzabala, the previous command sergeant major for 20th CBRNE Command, relinquished responsibility, Feb. 2. He currently serves as the command sergeant major for the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Commanded by Col. Michael G. Schoonover, the Fort Carson, Colorado-based 71st EOD Group is one of two active-duty Army EOD groups in the United States and the group commands all EOD units west of the Mississippi River. The 71st EOD group commands three EOD battalions and 18 EOD companies on 11 military bases.
The other EOD group is the Fort Campbell, Kentucky-based 52nd EOD Group, which commands all EOD units in the eastern United States. Both EOD groups are assigned to the 20th CBRNE Command.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s EOD technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams.
Soldiers and Army civilians from 19 bases in 16 states take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
Brig. Gen. Daryl O. Hood, the commanding general of the 20th CBRNE Command, welcomed Silva as his new command sergeant major during the ceremony.
“You’re not leaving the Raptor family – you’re expanding it,” said Hood. “I know that your purpose will not change. You will continue to do what you already have been – to lead, to care for, to train and to maintain those Soldiers who you are responsible for.”
A Master EOD technician, Silva has deployed seven times and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Silva has served on protection missions for presidents and the Pope. He has also been to all 50 states and five of the seven continents. Silva earned a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College and he is pursuing a master’s degree in Business Management.
From his time at the 71st EOD Group, Silva thanked his Soldiers for conducting EOD Team of the Year competitions, Special Operations Forces and maneuver support training, global operational deployments, presidential protective support missions, emergency responses, Combat Training Center rotations and training support to the operational force.
Silva said the most rewarding part of his time at the 71st EOD Group was watching Soldiers, noncommissioned officers and officers develop, grow, get promoted and succeed.
“The team came together time and time again to accomplish every requirement asked of us,” said Silva. “Witnessing excellence firsthand remains the highlight of every leadership position I’ve held and holds true as my time with the 71st EOD concludes.”
A native of Long Beach, California, Silva credited leaders and mentors for his success throughout his two and a half decades in the U.S. Army.
“Great leaders have coached, mentored and invested in me throughout my career,” said Silva. “Committed Soldiers have executed seemingly impossible tasks professionally and with precision. Their accomplishments are what have driven my success and motivated me to continue to work for them daily.”
The command sergeant major plans to return the favor by focusing on the men and women who make 20th CBRNE Command the U.S. military’s premier all hazards formation.
“I will continue to invest in leader development, team cohesion initiatives and training resourcing,” said Silva. “We will never reach a period when we have a surplus of people, time or equipment, so optimizing the use of our resources and maximizing training management are high on my list of ways I intend to help the units succeed.”
Silva said the enduring competitive advantage of the multifunctional 20th CBRNE Command are the Soldiers, Army civilians and Army families from the one-of-a-kind command.
“If you’re a Soldier, civilian or family member assigned to the 20th, I work for you. I am honored to be your command sergeant major,” said Silva.
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