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Senior Army Instructor (SAI)
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) James B. Collins
Lieutenant Colonel James B. Collins’ career spans over 31 years in the Army. His last assignment on active duty was as the Director of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s Special Operations Mission Training Center (SOMTC), Fort Liberty, NC. The SOMTC conducts up to twelve Mission Readiness Exercises for a total of 30-35 Battalion, Group/Brigade, and Division sized Special Operations Forces units each year, preparing them to conduct Mission Command battle staff functions while deployed to combat theaters around the world.
LTC Collins enlisted in the South Carolina Army National Guard in July 1992 and after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, received a commission in the United States Army Reserve as an Infantry Officer. After college, LTC Collins became a police officer in South Carolina where he attended the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy graduating at the top of his class earning the coveted J.P. Strom award. LTC Collins graduated from the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia in November of 2000 and in March of 2001, was selected to be the Intelligence Officer (S2) of the New Orleans Recruiting Battalion where he served until March of 2003.
After 9/11, LTC Collins applied for active duty and began his Regular Army career in April 2003. After attending the Infantry Mechanized Leader Course and Airborne School, LTC Collins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and immediately deployed to Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Upon arrival he was assigned as a Rifle Platoon leader and participated in countless combat operations including the Battle of Fallujah, earning the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Bronze Star. After redeployment to Fort Riley, Kansas, LTC Collins was selected to be the Scout Platoon Leader serving until 2005.
In 2005, LTC Collins became the Company Commander of B Co, 3-330th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia earning distinction as one of the top two Company Commanders in the Brigade. While at Fort Benning, Georgia, he attended the Maneuver Captain Career Course, the Pathfinder Course, and deployed on two Embedded Training Teams, one to Iraq as the Battalion Operations Officer, and Commanding the other in Helmand, Afghanistan. In 2011, LTC Collins became an FA57 Simulations Officer and was assigned to the Maneuver Battle Lab as the Chief of Unmanned Systems in charge of overseeing experimentation on emerging technologies for the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning. During this time, he established the Joint Ground Robotics Integration Team (JGRIT) working with numerous organizations including the Naval Research Laboratory and the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and deployed to Afghanistan to conduct real world experimentation on Extended Unattended Ground Sensors (E-UGS).
Upon graduation from Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2013, LTC Collins was assigned to 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) as the Brigade Simulations Officer, Chief of Plans during deployment to Afghanistan, and Operations Officer. He then served as the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Simulations Officer where he led the joint effort to design, build, and execute a division level Mission Readiness Exercise (MRX) in a miraculous 63 days.
LTC Collins attended the Knowledge Management course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in June 2016 and was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division, headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Upon arrival to the 7th Infantry Division, LTC Collins was assigned as the Division Simulations Officer where he led the effort to plan, build, and execute the first ever live, virtual, and constructive (LVC), division level MRX at JBLM. From there he was assigned as the I Corps Simulations Officer and led the joint effort to design, build, and execute the first Corps level MRX at JBLM in the modern era, in just 90 days. In 2019 LTC Collins was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command where he served as the Director of the Special Operations Mission Training Center for four years.
LTC Collins’ decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (fifth award), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (second award), the Army Achievement Medal, the Valorous Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal (second award), the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (two campaign stars), the Iraq Campaign Medal (with two campaign star), the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (third award), and the NATO Medal. LTC Collins has been awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist’s Badge, and the Pathfinder Badge. LTC Collins is married to Cristina, they have three grown children, Jeremy, Marisa, and Luke and have three grandchildren.
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Army Instructor (AI)
Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Edwin A. Rivera Rivera
CSM Rivera was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He joined the Army in June of 1990 and attended One Station Unit Training (OSUT) as a Tank Crewman (19 Kilo) at Fort Knox, Kentucky. CSM Rivera has served in numerous duty and leadership positions from Driver, Loader, Gunner, Tank Commander, Assistant Operations Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), Observer Controller/Trainer, Drill Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant, Military Transition Team NCO, Basic Officer Leaders Course III Instructor, First Sergeant, G5 Future Operations Sergeant Major, Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktika Sergeant Major, Squadron Command Sergeant Major and Brigade Rear Detachment Command Sergeant Major.
CSM Rivera has served with the 2nd Armored Division (Forward), Germany; 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Alpha Company 2-81st Armor, Fort Knox, Kentucky; 1/11th Armor Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, California; HHT 2/16th Cavalry, Fort Knox, Kentucky; 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado; United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Class 61, Fort Bliss, Texas; Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Paktika, FOB Sharana, Afghanistan and HHT 4/10th US Cavalry Squadron “Buffalo Soldiers”, Fort Carson, Colorado. CSM Rivera has completed three Combat Tours: Iraqi Campaigns (Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Liberation of Kuwait), Operation Iraqi Freedom III and Operation Enduring Freedom.
His military education includes Warrior Leaders Course, Advance Leaders Course, Senior Leaders Course, Battle Staff Course, Drill Sergeant School, Observer Controller/Trainer Course, Basic Instructor Course, First Sergeant Course, Sergeants Major Resident Course (Class 61), Command Sergeant Major Development Program and Battalion Pre-Command Program.
His awards and decorations include: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (2OLC), Meritorious Service Medal (3OLC), Army Commendation Medal (4OLC), Army Achievement Medal (5OLC), Navy Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Superior Unit Award, Good Conduct Medal (8th award), National Defense Service Medal w/Bronze Star, Southwest Asia Service Medal w/3 Bronze Stars, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/Bronze Star, Iraqi Campaign Medal w/Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Ribbon with Roman Numeral 4, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Roman Numeral 3, NATO ISAF medal, Kuwaiti Liberation Medal from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Combat Action Badge, Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, German Sport Proficiency Badge (Gold), Army Expert Marksmanship Badge (Pistol) and Drivers Mechanic Badge (Track and Wheel). CSM Rivera has a Bachelor of Science degree from Excelsior College.
CSM Rivera resides in Parrish, Florida. His spouse, Anna Marie Rivera Rivera, is an Army Veteran, his daughter Natalia is a West Point graduate (Class of 2022) and currently attending Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Alabama to become a Helicopter Pilot. His son Brendan, graduated from Auburn University (Class of 2023) as a Civil Engineer.
