Ocalan promoted

U.S. Army Maj. Earl Filmore, left, takes the oath for his new rank of lieutenant colonel, administered by Col. Torin Hamilton of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4493 in Silver Springs Shores. [Andy Fillmore]

U.S. Army Maj. Earl L. Filmore Jr. of Ocala was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in a pinning ceremony on Oct. 7 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4493 in Silver Springs Shores. An oath for the new rank was administered by Col. Torin Hamilton of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Filmore, 50, a native of Ocklawaha, graduated from Lake Weir High School in 1991 and joined the Army the same year. He is an Iraq War veteran and served combat deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. Filmore, who holds a doctorate degree in education, is stationed with the command and general staff at Patrick Air Force Base on Florida’s Space Coast.

“This is a testament to the hard work and what others have invested in me,” Filmore said, adding after taking his oath that he thanked God.

Fillmore’s mother, Dorothy Daniels, said her “heart is filled” and added, “thank the Lord.”

Allie Braswell, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, Northeast Florida, traveled from Jacksonville for the ceremony. Braswell called the promotion “well deserved.”