Lieutenant Colonel Perez is a native of California and commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps in May 2007 after attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, graduating with a degree in Political Science. He attended the Basic School in Quantico, VA, graduating in January 2008. Then he completed flight school in Pensacola, FL and Corpus Christi, TX, spending time in Training Squadrons 3, 35, and 28. He graduated on the Commodore’s List with Distinction and received designation as a Naval Aviator in January 2010. While a MV-22 Osprey pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Perez completed the Aviation Safety Officer Course and the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course. He is also a graduate of the Expeditionary Warfare School and Command and Staff College, graduating with Highest Distinction. In 2018, he completed a Masters’ degree in Electrical Engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.
Lieutenant Colonel Perez served with the operating forces from 2010 – 2016 as an MV-22 pilot, with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadrons 161 and 363, both out of MCAS Miramar in San Diego, CA. With those units he had combat deployments in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and INHERENT RESOLVE. He also participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in 2014 and has spent time underway on the USS Anchorage, Peleliu, and Boxer. In the fall of 2014 Lieutenant Colonel Perez was a part of the establishment of the Marine Corps Crisis Response Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force in Central Command.
While in the operating forces, Major Perez served in several billets as a squadron Adjutant; Legal Officer; Schedule Writer; Current Operations Officer; Airframes Officer; Aviation Safety Officer; Logistics Officer; Director of Safety, Standardization, and Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization, and Aviation Maintenance Officer.
Most recently, from 2018 to 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Perez served as an instructor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. During this period he also performed duties as the Executive Assistant to the Chair of the ECE department and as the Marine Mentor to a company of 150 Midshipmen.
As a naval aviator, Lieutenant Colonel Perez has flown over 1500 flight hours during his career, primarily in the MV-22 Osprey, to include over 200 combat hours over Iraq and Afghanistan. He is designated as a Weapons and Tactics Instructor, Air Mission Commander, Flight Leadership Standardization Instructor, and Instrument Evaluator. In the spring of 2016 he served as an augment instructor for the semi-annual Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course in Yuma, AZ.
Lieutenant Colonel Perez currently serves as the Executive Officer for Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 at MCAS New River in Jacksonville, NC.
Lieutenant Colonel Perez’ personal awards include three Strike/Flight Air Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with one gold star in lieu of second award.