Port Hueneme, CA – Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) was promoted today to the rank of Commander (O-5) in the United States Navy (Reserve Component) at a ceremony held at the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme. Commander Gorell, an intelligence officer and third-generation navy veteran, was selected for promotion last year by the Navy’s annual Commander (O-5) promotion board.

Commander Gorell’s military service was previously highlighted in 2011 when he became the first sitting member of the California State Legislature to be called to active military service since World War II. Half of his first two-year term was spent on an unpaid leave of absence from the legislature while he was embedded as a targeting officer with the U.S. Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. He earned the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for leadership in a combat zone.

“We congratulate Commander Gorell and thank him for his continued service both as a military officer and as a state legislator,” said Pete Conaty, who serves as Governmental Advocate for veterans groups. “Whether it’s in Afghanistan or in Sacramento, it’s important that we have experienced leaders who understand veterans’ issues, military life, and the unique challenges placed upon the families of service members.”

Assemblyman Jeff Gorell has completed two one-year tours to the Middle East and Afghanistan and was decorated for his leadership in a combat zone. In 2002, Gorell led a combat camera team in Bagram, Afghanistan; and from 2011-2012, he commanded a targeting cell embedded with the U.S. Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Gorell is the grandson of a Navy Seabee who fought in the Pacific during World War II, and the son of a career naval officer and Vietnam veteran.

Since 2009, Commander Gorell has served as executive officer of NR STRATCOM JFCC SPACE, a reserve unit that supports military joint space operations. Gorell is a member of American Legion Post 502 in Moorpark, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9791 in Ojai, and the Past Commander of the Military Order of World Wars in Conejo Valley.