Executive Officer
Major Mark Reaser
Major Mark Reaser graduated with merit in 2013 from the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, majoring in History and minoring in French and German. He accepted a commission into the United States Marine Corps upon graduation. His first assignment was to the United States Naval Academy as a Varsity Sprint Football Coach as well as an Obstacle and Endurance Course Instructor. He reported to The Basic School in Quantico, VA, in August 2013 and graduated in March 2014. He then reported to Pensacola, Florida, for Naval Aviation Flight Training. His flight school assignments included Aviation Preflight Indoctrination in Pensacola, Florida, Primary Flight Training with VT-27 in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Advanced Rotary Wing Flight Training with HT-28 in Milton, Florida. Major Reaser completed flight school in April 2016, receiving his Wings of Gold.
He then reported to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303 in Camp Pendleton, California, in May of 2016 for initial training in his Fleet aircraft, the UH-1Y Combat Utility Helicopter. He graduated from Fleet Replacement training in November 2016, and then reported to his first Fleet squadron, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, in Camp Pendleton, California.
Major Reaser’s billet assignments in the Fleet included Current Operations Officer, Flight Officer, Pilot Training Officer, Standardization Officer, Future Operations Officer, Assistant Operations Officer, Operations Officer, Quality Assurance Officer, and Assistant Aviation Maintenance Officer. He is a 2020 graduate of the Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Warfare School, a 2023 graduate of the Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College, a 2021 graduate of the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI 2-21), in Yuma, Arizona, , and the HMLA-469 Nominee for the 2021 Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Aviator of the Year Award.
Major Reaser’s operational experience includes deployments to INDOPACOM, CENTCOM, and AFRICOM. His first deployment was with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2018, where he flew combat sorties in support of Operation ODYSSEY RESOLVE in Libya. His second deployment was in 2020 with the Unit Deployment Program to Okinawa, Japan, in support of Alert Contingency Marine-Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) requirements and crisis response in INDOPACOM.
Major Reaser was selected in 2022 for Marine Officer Instructor (MOI) duty at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, VA. In addition to being an academic and military instructor at VMI, Major Reaser led the Marine contingent of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program and served as an Assistant Tactical Officer for VMI. He helped propel VMI to become the largest producer of Marine Corps officers in the nation amongst NROTC programs.
Major Reaser was selected in 2024 to serve as the Executive Officer for the United States Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, RI.
Major Reaser’s personal awards include two awards of the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, three awards of the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Expert Rifle Badge, and 3 awards of the Expert Pistol Badge.
