Photo By Kyle Crawford | Maj. Gen. Antonio Munera, the Commanding General of U.S. Army Cadet Command, takes a...... read more read more
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Growing up as a military child, Maj. Gen. Antonio “Andy” Munera never thought the Army was a career he’d want to pursue. It was always something his grandfather and his father did.
Everything changed for Munera when he attended Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in 1989.
“I found that I really enjoy working with Soldiers, I really enjoy interacting with people, and I really enjoy a challenge, pursuing something that’s a little bit bigger than myself,” Munera said.
“If I had to travel back in time to talk to Cadet Munera, I would have to say, ‘You’re on the right path. Embrace it, have confidence in yourself and enjoy the ride.’”
Commissioning as a fourth generation Puerto Rican officer from Shippensburg University in 1991, Munera discovered his calling.
“I found my passion, which I hope most of our cadets do, in service to our nation and the camaraderie that you get out of interacting with people and Soldiers.”
Munera experienced a military career filled with numerous awards and tours around the world, but fate would bind him to Fort Knox once again in 2019 when he assumed the role of Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Cadet Command.
He would return just two years later as the Commanding General, a position he quickly jumped into with a sense of familiarity and pride.
“I was really excited about coming back to Cadet Command and being able to really change people’s lives and help them achieve what they want to do as a commissioned officer,” Munera said.
Leading a command with a national presence of over 300,000 high school and college cadets, cadre, and staff, Munera wanted to highlight Cadet Command’s strengths and ensure the command found success and growth within an ever-changing geoeconomic climate.
“One of the things I knew Cadet Command was really good at was developing leaders. The product that we were producing in terms of lieutenants, we do a really good job with that,” Munera said.
“What I really worried about was how do I make sure Cadet Command is postured in the future to continue to get access to talented youth and develop them into lieutenants. If you look at changing demographics and you look at the changing landscapes of some of our regional schools, we had to reset our footprint and create capacity in places where we are not.”
Munera’s vision for Reset 2030 received approval from the Secretary of the Army on February 27, 2024, as the first large-scale geographic change within Army ROTC in the past 20 years. While still unfolding, the reset will move resources and provide opportunities to an additional 200,000 undergraduates in growing communities.
Munera also wasted no time in becoming an ever-present face within programs and at events across the nation.
During his two years with Cadet Command, he traveled to numerous regional and national events while finding time to visit 74 Army ROTC and JROTC programs across the country.
“When you talk about leadership, I believe presence matters,” he said. “Each one of our programs is different, and if you don’t go to visit them, you’re not going understand their particular challenges.”
These visits gave Munera the ability to witness the impact Army Senior ROTC and Junior ROTC could have on students. It was, many times, an emotional experience for him.
“What I really like about Cadet Command is you really do have the opportunity to change the trajectory of somebody’s life, and that’s through the Army ROTC scholarship,” Munera said.
“I’ve been able to find Junior ROTC cadets [and] high schoolers that are trying to figure out how to continue their academic goals and how to continue to serve… and when you can go there and present a check to the cadet and the family and just watch the tears come down from the family and the cadet because you’ve absolutely changed their lives…that is absolutely incredible.”
In the 23 months Munera lead Cadet Command, over 11,000 second lieutenants were commissioned into the U.S. Army and more than 20,000 cadets completed Cadet Summer Training in preparation to contract or commission.
“When you talk about what we do in terms of leadership, and when you count up the amount of leadership curriculum that we’re providing the cadets so that whatever they want to do in life, whether its commissioning in the Guard, the Reserve, or on Active Duty, we are setting conditions for their success,” he said.
“I think ROTC absolutely demonstrates, in practice, leadership excellence in the cadets that we are producing.”
Munera was a staunch advocate of a “One ROTC” mentality, encouraging college Army Senior ROTC programs to partner with high school Junior ROTC programs to mentor, inspire, and educate future leaders.
Under his direction the JROTC National Raider Challenge was re-located to Fort Knox last fall, bringing over 3,000 JROTC cadets and their families to Kentucky for the competition. Thousands of Army ROTC cadets, cadre, and staff from across the eight brigades within Cadet Command came together in support of the successful event.
“It was a great experience,” Munera said. “We not only showcased talented cadets, but also showed the community the positive aspects of Junior ROTC and the Army.”
As he nears the end of his Army career and prepares for retirement, Munera knows that none of his success would have been possible without his family.
“They were supportive of me wherever I wanted to go, even if sometimes we had to uproot them from places probably earlier than they wanted,” he said. “They’ve always allowed me to pursue what my passion was and made decisions that were because I loved what I was doing and they allowed me to continue that.”
Still unsure of what life will look like after the Army, Munera reflects on his extensive career of service to the nation, confident in the capability of the Army ROTC cadets and their pursuit for leadership excellence.
“To be successful in the military as an officer, you can’t be average and you’ve got to work a little bit harder,” Munera said.
“We’re asking them to take on the greatest responsibility anyone can have at that young age, and that’s to take care of America’s sons and daughters... but their hard work will pay off when they come into the Army and they’re able to handle the challenges of taking care of the Soldiers they’re entrusted to lead.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2024 12:23 |
| Story ID: | 477806 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX , KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
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