CPT Mazda graduated from West Point and commissioned as a Military Intelligence officer in 2014. As a Lieutenant he served as a Battalion Assistant S2 and Platoon Leader in 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft Hood, known as Ft Cavazos from 2023, and a Deputy J2 in Afghanistan. After completing the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course, CPT Mazda served as a Battalion S2 and Company Commander at Ft Bliss, TX. He earned an MA in History from The Ohio State University in 2023 and is currently working on his dissertation examining military development in Early Modern Imperial Russia. His wife, Andrea, also teaches in the History Department and they have a son, Aleks.