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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Command Sergeant Major Victor A. Gomez '90, MCC Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee


Four outstanding alumni will be inducted in the MCC Alumni Hall of Fame at the MCC Foundation’s 24th Annual Salute to Excellence dinner on Thursday evening, November 14 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Among them is Command Sergeant Major Victor A. Gomez ’90, U.S. Army, Retired. Victor was nominated by Associate Professor of Philosophy Matthew Hachee. Following is a piece of Victor’s inspiring story:

After his family fled from Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Victor A. Gomez began a new life in Rochester. He graduated from Monroe High School and was drafted into the U.S. Army during the height of the Vietnam War.  He served a tour of combat duty in Vietnam prior to becoming an American citizen in 1973. He also served in Operation Desert Shield.

Victor achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, earning numerous honors and awards along the way, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He retired from active duty in 2005 and is the highest-ranking Cuban-born, non-commissioned officer to have ever served in the U.S. Army. 

He enrolled in MCC in 1986 and earned his associate degree in business administration and economics while training soldiers through the U.S. Army Reserve. He has taught financial management and planning to ROTC cadets on more than 30 college campuses across the country. An advocate for enlisted men and women and their families, Victor volunteers his time in veteran's services departments in his home state of Florida and in other communities. His son, Christopher, currently attends MCC and follows in the footsteps of his brother and father.

Show your support of our alumni and the MCC Foundation. Tickets to the Salute to Excellence dinner are still available. MCC faculty and staff and their guests may take advantage of a special ticket rate of $50 per person (general public per person rate is $120). RSVP by November 4 by contacting the MCC Foundation at x1500 or <
mailto:mccf@monroecc.edu>.  The event will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m.; dinner and awards program will begin at 7 p.m.

Karen Shaw '78 and Mark Pastorella '90
MCC Foundation
10/29/2013