MOAACC Guest Speaker Lt. Col. Ken Harris Details Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay
By Space Coast Daily // September 28, 2022
Lt. Col. Harris attended and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter’s monthly luncheon keynote speaker was retired Lt. Col. Ken Harris, who provided insights into the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay.
Lt. Col. Ken Harris discussed the two separate parts of Guantanamo, the actual Naval Base and the Center for Detainees. These detainees are Muslim militants and suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places.
Lt. Col. Harris described how attempts are made to satisfy their cultural dietary and religious requirements to the extent possible. He has enjoyed a varied military career and first enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982.
After some time at sea, he attended and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989, completing four years of active duty aboard a new destroyer.
Reorienting his goals, he enlisted in the Army National Guard in Hawaii, where they set him on the path of commissioning again through Officer Candidate School.
After a dozen years in the Guard, he transitioned to the U.S. Army Reserve.
His Army assignments have included military intelligence, ordnance (maintenance), logistics, engineering, instructing and information operations. He was deployed to Iraq from 2003- 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and to JTF GTMO from 2011-2012.
In addition to his Army Reserve commitment, Ken is active in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. He joined the ROTC Team in 2005 at Florida Atlantic University, worked in Boston from 2015-2020, and joined the Florida Institute of Technology’s Panther Battalion’s Cadre in August 2020.
Lt. Col. Harris is an active chapter member, supporting youth activities and is a familiar face at the JROTC events at the Veterans Memorial Center.
He was instrumental in planning and coordinating the Sept. 17 seminar at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center to familiarize high school students with the admissions process for U.S. military academies and college ROTC scholarships.
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