NEW JROTC SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR IS EAGER TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING YOUNG LEADERS
August 15, 2024
After the retirement of CPT (Ret) Dwayne Rhodes from the Central Catholic Army JROTC program this past spring, the US Army JROTC Fifth Brigade and the school administration are happy to announce that Major (US Army Retired) Edward Hernandez, Jr. is officially the Corps of Cadets’ newest Senior Army Instructor.
Following Central Catholic’s Hire for Mission process, the posting saw numerous very qualified candidates apply. Through several rounds of interviews, each committee, comprised of faculty, parents, alumni, and students, resoundingly recommended Major (Ret) Hernandez. Central Catholic Principal Dr. Lee Hernandez says, “We are excited to have Major (Ret) Hernandez join our Central Catholic family. His experiences and background will add tremendous value to our JROTC program and school while maintaining the level of distinction set forth before him.”
Major (RET) Edward J. Hernandez, Jr. is eager to continue the tradition of excellence and developing young leaders. He served six and a half years as an Engineer Officer and Army Patient Administration in the U.S. Army Reserves. He also served over 23 years on active duty as an Armor Officer and Foreign Area Officer.
Some of his assignments on active duty include Tank Platoon Leader, Cavalry Troop Commander (Strykers), South Asia Intelligence Analyst, and Foreign Forces Training Coordinator at the U.S. Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center. In these assignments, a few of Major (RET) tasks were to collect and process classified and non-classified sources into usable intelligence for the Department of Defence and National Capital Region, coordinate logistics and training for 27 foreign partner militaries, brief situational updates to the Department of Defence (Washington DC) on both intelligence and foreign forces’ preparation and logistics, develop relationships with U.S. stakeholders to create an effective training environment for foreign units and organize communications with various intelligence agencies to increase positive collaborations.
Major Hernandez graduated from John Marshall High School, received his AA and Commission in the Reserves from Marion Military Institute, AL; a BA in History from the University of Texas at San Antonio; an MSc in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras, India; and, an MA in Asian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Hernandez has been happily married to Oxana Hernandez, of Khabarovsk, Russia, for 22 years this July. They have three children: Arianna currently serves in the U.S. Navy as a machinery repairman, Edward III will begin his junior year at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, this fall, and Elyan will attend Brandeis High School as a student in the Class of 2025.
Major Hernandez has already commenced his tenure at Central Catholic High School since early this summer, and we extend our warmest welcome to him and his family as they join our community. We eagerly anticipate a fantastic school year ahead!