The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing the 55th Combat Veteran For Congress; he is a fiscal and constitutional conservative officer who will work to rein in the out-of-control spending of the Obama Administration. Col Evelio “EJ” Otero Jr., USAF (Ret) http://ejoteroforcongress.com resides in Tampa, Florida. He served in the US Air Force for 28 years, and is running for the seat in the 11th Congressional District of Florida which is held by three term Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL-11) who is ranked as the 9th most liberal member of Congress based upon her voting record. Cong Castor was hand-picked by Pelosi to serve on several committees, and voted in lock step with Pelosi 98% of the time, often against the interests of her constituents; she voted for the flawed Obama Health Care Bill, against a bill to reduce Congressional spending by 11%, voted to reduce support for missile defense, voted against welfare reform, and voted in support of all the Obama Administration’s programs to expand a bloated and out of control Washington bureaucracy. Evelio Otero was born on January 15, 1961, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was raised in San Juan. He graduated in June 1978 from Baldwin High School in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. In June of 1982 Evelio earned a BA and a double major in Political Science and Journalism (Mass Communications) from Iowa State University, in Ames, Iowa. Subsequently in June 1988, he received a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations from Troy University; the degree was conferred while he was assigned on active duty in Crete, Greece.  In June 2006 he received a Masters in Arts degree in Strategic Studies from the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama.

In June 1982, upon graduation from the ROTC program at Iowa State University Evelio Otero was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force Reserve. He reported to Electronic Security Command’s 6917th Electronic Security Group in San Vito, Italy and was assigned as Flight Commander. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in October 1984, was assigned to the National Security Agency as a Senior Intelligence Analyst in September, and was promoted to Captain in the Regular Air Force in October 1986. From September 1987 thru September 1991 he had duty assignments to Headquarters US Air Force, the Electronic Security Command 6931 in Crete, Greece, and the Cryptologic Training Division at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas, when he resigned his regular commission and accepted a commission as a Captain, USAFR. He had various reserve assignments at Headquarters US Pacific Command, the US Embassies in Colombia and El Salvador and was promoted to Major in July 1996. From April 1997 to October 2002 he had duty assignments at Headquarters US Pacific Command, the Joint Interagency Task Force in Key West in the Counter Narcotics Analysis Team, and Chief of the Tactical Analysis Team at the US Consulate in Barranquilla, Colombia, and Headquarters US Central Command at MacDill AFB as Deputy Branch Chief of Intelligence; he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 2000. In October 2002 he was assigned to help establish US Central Command Headquarters, Qatar, establishing the Intelligence Operations Division, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom; he made multiple trips into Afghanistan, and into Iraq. He led the first Sensitive Site Exploitation of the Baath Party Headquarters in Baghdad as well evaluated hands on the Document exploitation program and began coordination in Qandahar and Baghdad on Detainee Interrogations requirements. In May 2004 he was promoted to Colonel. From May 2004 to May 2005, while assigned to Central Command at MacDill AFB as Chief Coalition Intelligence Center he made multiple trips to the Coalition Intelligence Center in Iraq working on Detainee Interrogation Release Parameters. He received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Air Force Commendation Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters) the Joint Service Achievement Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Air Force Expeditionary Medal with Gold Border for Combat Duty, and various campaign medals. From June 2005 to May 2006 Col Otero was assigned as a student at the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama. Following graduation he served as founder of US Special Operations Command International Engagement Division, establishing partner Special Operations Command Centers in Poland, Jordan, Colombia, France, England, and Brazil in support of US National Objectives. After 28 years of service, and 22 Active Duty years, Col Otero retired from active duty as Chief for Security Cooperation, International Engagement Program from Headquarters, US Special Operations Command in October 2010; he was honorably discharged from the US Air Force, and was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal.

Col Otero is a recognized expert on Coalition Development, having lectured at Iowa State University, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Canadian Royal Military College, Western Hemisphere International School at Fort Benning, Georgia, the prestigious Universidad Menendez Pelayo, Spain, and is quoted in Chapter III, page 15 of the Joint Publication 3-16 on Multinational Operations. He is also a political military consultant for CNN in Spanish, and on several international radio and TV stations. On October 20, 2011, Col Otero declared his candidacy to run for Congress in the 11th Congressional District. He has been endorsed by MajGen David Scott, U.S. Air Force (Ret), Brig Gen Hector Pagan, US Army SF (Ret), the Combat Veteran For Congress PAC, and Col Mike Pendergast, USA (Ret), an endorsed Combat Veteran For Congress.  He is a member of the VFW, the American Legion, the US Air Force Association, the National Association of Uniformed Services, the NRA, Tampa Republican Club, Republican National Hispanic Assembly, South Shore Republican Club, South Shore 912 Group, Military Officers Association of America, Iowa State Alumni Association, and the Sacred Heart Church in Tampa. He is engaged to be married to Ms Herlinda Gonzalez.

If you review Col Otero’s positions on various issues, you would be pleased with his stands; they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement. The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC are pleased to endorse Col Evelio Otero, USAF (Ret), we look forward to working with him, and we are gratified that a Combat Veteran of his caliber is running for the U.S. House of Representatives. If you have friends, associates, or relatives who know voters in Florida, kindly pass this email onto them and ask them to support Col. Otero by working in his campaign, providing financial support for his campaign in any amount, and/or by networking with others who would be willing to support his campaign. We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress that General George Washington would have approved of, he is a Veteran who at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The Unites States of America” for an amount “up to and including his life.”