Ramon Colon-Lopez
| Ramón Colón-López | |
|---|---|
Command Chief Master Sergeant Ramon Colon-Lopez
The first Hispanic recipient of the Air Force Combat Action Medal. |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Chief C-Z" |
| Born |
October 21, 1971 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1990 – present |
| Rank |
 Command Chief Master Sergeant
|
| Commands held | Senior Enlisted Leader of United States Africa Command Command Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Forces Central Command Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 1st Special Operations Wing Commandant of the Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer School |
| Battles/wars |
Gulf War Operation Southern Watch Operation Northern Watch Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Awards | See below |
Command Chief Master Sergeant Ramón Colón-López (born: October 21, 1971) is a pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force. In 2007 he was the only Hispanic amongst the first six airmen to be awarded the newly created Air Force Combat Action Medal. He is currently the Senior Enlisted Leader of United States Africa Command.
Colón-López was born to Vilma and Ramon Colon-Torres in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, located in the southern coast of the island. His family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut and in 1989, he graduated from Kolbe Cathedral High School. Colón-López wanted to pursue a degree in the field of biology and attended Sacred Heart University. However, after two semesters, on 10 December 1990, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and trained as a Transportation Specialist.
He is married to Janet K. McCaskill of Seagrove, North Carolina.
After graduating basic military training as a Transportation Specialist Lackland Air Force Base, Texas he was stationed at Iraklion Air Station in Crete. He was deployed during the Gulf War. In 1994, he volunteered for Pararescue duty training and completed his training in 1996 with 12 of his original 113 PJ candidates. After completing the PJ "pipeline" he was assigned to the 48th Rescue Squadron out of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. While a member of the 48th RQS he participated in various assignments, among which were Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch as Combat Search and Rescue Team Leader. He left the 48th RQS in January 1999 to join the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, located at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina.
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