Police officer reenlists in Navy Reserve

A Pueblo police officer doesn’t just work to keep the peace in Pueblo. He’s also trained to care for military members on the front lines. On Sunday, Petty Officer 1st Class Mario Diaz reenlisted in the Navy.

“Whenever they task us to go somewhere else, we’re ready to go,” Diaz said.

Diaz took an oath on Sunday at the Medal of Honor Memorial in Pueblo to spend another four years with the Navy Reserve. He’s already spent 10 years with the Navy, the majority of it in active duty. Diaz is part of a medical unit stationed in Fort Carson in the Navy Operational Support Center.

“Every month our unit, with our sailors and our corpsman, we train how to perform immunizations, blood draws, do physicals,” said Navy Capt. Adrienne French.

It’s not money or benefits that led Diaz to reenlist. “Most of us don’t receive additional benefits, particularly the enlisted unless they advance or they get to 20 years of retirement,” French said.

Diaz said, “I felt the need to help my fellow sailors, my junior sailors and that’s the point of being a good leader.”

The unit trains together but deploys individually. Diaz has not been deployed yet but says he’s ready if asked.

“You want to work for your people and that’s why I decided to reenlist again,” Diaz said.