While sharks are known for their solitary behavior, this is more of a stereotype than a fact. Sharks can be seen in groups, especially around islands in the Indo-Pacific. Even as apex predators, working together increases their survival rate.
Growing up in Chillicothe, Missouri, Staff Sgt. Mariah Cox was always obsessed with sharks. She used to watch Shark Week on Discovery with her family every year it came on. When she wasn’t trying to catch up on the latest shark facts, she and her brother would be outside playing soldiers, battling against imaginary bad guys.
Years later, her brother joined the U.S. Army as a tanker, which inspired Cox to take the plunge and join as a military police officer. Years later, she would find herself in a unique job.
“I have done a lot of military police work and wanted to take that plunge into something different.”
Cox, now the executive assistant to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command’s top command sergeant major, still relates strongly to sharks.
“They're intimidating,” said Cox. “I'm not intimidating. I'm not a feared person. Even though sharks are feared. But they are heavily relied on and trusted by a lot of, like, smaller fish. A lot of fish will see the shark as a protector. So, I guess I relate to that; I constantly try to put people under my wings.”
Before Cox volunteered to be the executive aid for the command sergeant major, she was a military police officer stationed in Stuttgart, Germany.
Her love for sharks never disappeared, and she even got a tattoo of a shark on her arm. While stationed in Germany, she traveled all around Europe, but she longed for the deep ocean. When it came time to reenlist, instead of taking the usual career path of drill sergeant or recruiter, she asked to be stationed in Hawaii.
Not long after arriving in Hawaii, Cox heard about the executive assistant position for the 8th TSC command sergeant major. She and a few others in her company volunteered for the position, but after the interview process, she was the one who was picked.
“I have done a lot of military police work and wanted to take that plunge into something different,” said Cox.
Being the executive aid for the command sergeant major is a temporary volunteer position and typically ends once the command sergeant major has a change of responsibility.
When the command sergeant major or the 8th Theater Sustainment Command goes anywhere, he does not travel alone. Alongside him is Cox, who assists in ensuring that the currents remain smooth, especially while they travel. She assists in arranging his travel, meetings, and where to eat and stay. Cox makes sure that he is not overbooked and that he meets his deadlines.
“Since Staff Sgt. Cox arrived at the front office, she has been committed to learning every aspect of her job,” said Maj Theresa Christie, the executive officer to the 8th TSC commanding general. “Her position is critical to the 8th TSC because she helps create time and space to enable the command team to make decisions only they can make. She is a great addition to the team and great to work with.”
Being the command sergeant’s major assistant can have its challenges, but it also comes with its perks. For Cox, this brought her to Palau, an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific. Lucky for Cox, Palau is also one of a handful of countries that forbids fishing sharks in its economic waters.
While in Palau, they visited the civil action team. A civil action team, or CAT, is a U.S. military program that assists foreign local communities through programs ranging from construction to medical. That day, the Palau CAT took them out on a boat to see the WWII monument maintenance they were doing.
“I loved riding on the boat,” said Cox. “I couldn’t believe that I was doing this during work.”
With time to spare, the CAT took a small detour on the way back, stopping at a place called Shark City.
“This was my first time seeing them in the wild,” said Cox. “For them being my favorite animal, it was surprising. There were so many of them, and it was beautiful.”
Though this time she was only able to see them from the boat, Cox plans to go diving with sharks in the future, and she still holds a healthy respect for them.
“It’s my goal to get out in the water with them,” said Cox. “I want to go cage diving and freediving with the sharks. I may be a little nervous about being around them, but I feel like I relate to them.”
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