Local Hero: Victor Shen, Promoting Diversity in the Army
Nominee Name: Victor Shen
Title: U.S. Army Major
Organization/Business: U.S. Army Cadet Command
Website: www.cadetcommand.army.mil
"U.S. Army Major Victor Shen is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion throughout the Army by helping local high school students and their families attend college through an Army ROTC scholarship. Victor and his team have developed significant relationships with school districts in Los Angeles, Inglewood, Pomona, Montebello and many other local communities with underrepresented populations. Born and raised in Cerritos, Victor is a role model in the Asian American Pacific Islander community. He is warm, friendly, intelligent and approachable, which is especially important for a community with limited access to military education."Albert Chang, nominator
About Victor Shen
Major Victor Shen graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point in 2008 and was commissioned into the Regular Army's Finance Corps. Currently, he works with Norwalk's Strategic Officer Recruiting Detachment (SORD) of the U.S. Army Cadet Command. SORD promotes diversity and inclusion throughout the Army profession and educates the community about opportunities, scholarships and programs to help students and their families create a pathway to a strong future and service to our nation.
From 2009 to 2011, Shen served in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division and Afghanistan with a Special Operations Task Force. From 2012 to 2014, Shen commanded the Long Beach recruiting company, which was particularly special for him since he enlisted in Long Beach in 2002. Following command, he was selected as a White House Intern for the Joining Forces Initiative and supported military and veterans' families on employment, education and wellness. In 2014, he earned a Master's degree in Business for Veterans from the University of Southern California in its inaugural class. From 2014 to 2015, Shen served with Joint Task Force – Bravo in Honduras, where he was the J8 director and comptroller. From 2016 to 2019, he served as an operations officer, program analyst, budget analyst, and plans officer at the United States European Command. More recently, from 2020 to 2021, he worked on Pentagon assignments as an operations officer for the Army's COVID-19 team, deputy comptroller of the Department of Defense's Inauguration Task Force, and assistant team chief for the Army Operations Center in the National Military Command Center.
Shen speaks Mandarin and has volunteered for over 20 years with the Committee of 100, a nonprofit that promotes better U.S.-China relations and the participation of Chinese Americans in society. He is helping establish a new nonprofit, the Irregular Warfare Initiative, which aims to bridge the gap between academia, policymakers and practitioners on irregular warfare.
Shen has completed all academic courses for a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence degree from National Intelligence University and is completing his thesis, focusing on cryptocurrencies and national security. His awards and decorations include the Valorous Unit Award, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Army Staff Identification Badge and Combat Action Badge.