Aide to the Commander Rebecca M. Kauffman was promoted to Captain in the U.S. Army during a promotion ceremony June 7 behind the Frontier Club at White Sands Missile Range.
Aide to the Commander promoted to Captain
Aide to the Commander Rebecca M. Kauffman was promoted to Captain in the U.S. Army during a promotion ceremony June 7 behind the Frontier Club at White Sands Missile Range.
WSMR Commander Col. George C. Turner was the presiding officer for the ceremony. He provided opening remarks and readministered the oath of office to Kauffman.
Her mother, Janeen Garza, and her younger sister, Monica Garza, removed her First Lieutenant rank. Her father, Andrew Garza, and her husband, Capt. Darian Kauffman, pinned the Captain rank on her.
Turner also presented her with the promotion certificate.
Following the promotion the group went inside the Frontier Club for a reception.
In attendance were several leaders and members of the WSMR workforce including the installation command group. Her old squadron commander and command sergeant major from Fort Bliss were able to also travel to WSMR for the ceremony. Her family drove in the day before from Central Texas to be there, along with a few friends from various locations.
Kauffman is originally from Central Texas, near Fort Cavazos. She grew up in a
military family, with both of her parents serving in the U.S. Army.
“I initially enlisted in October 2014 and shipped out to basic training two and a half weeks after I
graduated from Texas A&M University in June 2015,” Kauffman said. “I served five years as an
All-Source Intelligence Analyst, with assignments in Germany, Poland, and Fort Leavenworth, Kan. I applied and was accepted to the Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore, Ga.”
Kauffman was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in June 2020 and has served as an Armor Officer for the past four years. Prior to coming to White Sands Missile Range, she was a Tank Platoon Leader in the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas.
While assigned there, she did an 8-month rotation to the Republic of South Korea. She was nominated for the Aide-de-Camp position and selected by Brig. Gen. Eric Little in January 2023.
“I have been serving as the Aide-de-Camp since February 2023. This month marked nine years of active federal service in the United States Army,” Kauffman said.
Kauffman said she plans on staying in the Army for the foreseeable future. Her next assignment
for a short duration will be Fort Huachuca, Arizona for the Military Intelligence Captains Career Course.
“I will be heading there this fall. Afterwards, I'm looking forward to serving as an Intelligence Officer and hopefully be selected to serve as a Company Commander.”
Miriam Rodriguez
WSMR Public Affairs