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History professor Mark Choate returns from his leave with military award

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Dr. Mark I. Choate stands with other soldiers for a picture. He spent 30 months in Chad, he says.

Mark I. Choate has returned to teach at BYU as a history professor after receiving the Legion of Merit military award at the end of May, 2024 for his service during his recent military leave,

Choate's award, the seventh in order of precedence among all US military awards, came with a certificate which explained that he was awarded for his "exceptionally meritorious service over a distinguished career, while serving in positions of increased responsibility."

The certificate goes on to state that Choate led US engagements with African partners in Sudan, Chad, and across the Sahel. His work laid the foundation for what is called the Five-Track Engagement Plan, which was made to prevent further conflict and violence.

“Colonel Choate’s distinctive accomplishments throughout a fine career are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the United States Army,” the certificate reads.

Choate explained that he was on a diplomatic tour of duty in N’Djamena, Chad for 30 months where he served as the United States Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché. He returned from his leave in July.

“I was responsible for all US-Chad military relations, security cooperation, and security assistance,” Choate said.

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Choate stands bearing his medals after retiring from the military this August.

Choate was unsure he would be receiving this award, saying “an earlier submission of (his) citation was rejected as not substantive enough.” In his final submission, he had to better explain his accomplishments and contributions to the Five-Track Engagement Plan.

“The award means a lot to me because some people I genuinely admire, such as Samuel Eliot Morison and Grace Hopper, also received the Legion of Merit as their highest decoration,” Choate said.

Throughout his entire military career, Choate has provided invaluable service.

“I retired in August as a colonel after a thirty-five-year career in the United States Army, having enlisted at age 17 in the Oklahoma National Guard. I served as a combat medic, joint military planner, special operations historian, active-duty tours in Afghanistan, Korea, Germany, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Chad,” he said.

Choate shared a special experience from his time in Chad, beginning with a record flooding that took place in Chad, Darfur and Central African Republic, in 2022.

“This was going to lead to flooding in the capital of N’Djamena on the Chari River on the way to Lake Chad... I did not have any resources to assist,” he explained.

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Choate and other soldiers stand outside Am Timan headquarters.

He spoke with the Chadian commander of military engineers “for two hours” about building temporary dykes, or barriers.

Additionally, Choate continued, the Chadian army used vehicles to move civilians who had been displaced by the flooding and engineers sanitized their fire engines to provide them clean drinking water.

“I was so proud of the Chadian response to this instance of global warming, as there was no cholera outbreak, and no flooding of the capital city. Even though the river was above the normal riverbank, the Chadian Army through tremendous efforts kept building higher and higher berms to keep out the water,” he said.

History department chair, Brian Cannon, expressed gratitude and admiration for Choate and his work.

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Choate says he spent 35 years working for the military and that his career has assisted him in the classes he teaches at BYU.

“Each of [his] difficult assignments entailed great sacrifices made by Dr. Choate and his family out of their deep love for this nation,” Cannon said.

Cannon has seen up close the challenges of shifting “repeatedly between two demanding careers,” as his brother served in the military and worked as a professor at BYU-I. And Cannon explained how he has seen Choate work past these challenges and contribute to the department.

“As a faculty member at BYU, Dr. Choate has enriched our curriculum by developing courses that draw upon the expertise he developed through his military service, including a course on Strategy in Peace and War and a course on Terrorism... Dr. Choate possesses a much more intimate connection to those topics and draws upon a wealth of personal experience and insight as he teaches,” Cannon said.

Choate explained his areas of teaching include European, African and world history, strategy in peace and war and other topics.

“History is one of the best preparations for a diplomatic and military career, to contribute to world peace,” he said.

Choate ended with his feelings on his military service.

“I enlisted in the US Army at age 17 and spent 35 years, two-thirds of my life so far, in military service, and it has been an honor and a privilege,” he said.