Catalina Gaviria

Staff Sergeant Catalina Gaviria started her military career with the United States Marine Corps in 2000 as a 0121 Administration Clerk.

Staff Sergeant Gaviria’s first duty station was with the 6th Communication Battalion and was mobilized in 2002, for one year, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following her mobilization, she transferred to the 4th Tank Battalion, Tow and Scouts platoon in Florida. It was during this time she was mobilized to support the unit’s deployment to Djibouti, Africa, in support of the Global War on Terror. After the unit’s return to the United States, Staff Sergeant Gaviria performed funeral honors for fallen Marines and volunteered for the Toys for Tots Program, which the USMC has been a part of for the past 75 years.

For her military service, she has received numerous awards, including Two Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medals, The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, The Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, and The National Defense Service Medal.

Staff Sergeant Gaviria re-enlisted into the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2012 as an Emergency Management Instructor assigned to the 482nd Civil Engineers Squadron based in Homestead, FL. She then transferred to the 514th Civil Engineers Squadron in 2014 based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. This is where Staff Sergeant Gaviria still serves as an instructor for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear program.

Staff Sergeant Gaviria has served for 17 years and re-enlisted for six more. Throughout her career, she has held a Sharpshooter Rifle badge and earned a gray belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.

She earned her Associate degree in Business Administration from Broward College, and is a Senior Payroll Administrator at Alliance Building Services in Manhattan, New York. 

Staff Sergeant Gaviria is married to her high school sweetheart, and fellow Marine Corps veteran, Sergeant Milton Gaviria. They have two beautiful daughters, Catalina and Valentina, and reside in Hamilton Beach, Queens.