BYU professor earns Legion of Merit, reflects on military career
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- Retired Army Col. Mark Choate, a professor at Brigham Young University, poses for a photo.
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- In this undated photo, Army Col. Mark Choate poses for a photo with fellow soldiers in Chad.
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- Retired Army Col. Mark Choate, a professor at Brigham Young University, poses with his Legion of Merit award.
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- Retired Army Col. Mark Choate, a professor at Brigham Young University, poses with his Legion of Merit award.
Retired Army Col. Mark Choate has always been impressed with United State veterans and their dedication to bring peace and stability to the world.
Now, just months after his own retirement, the 52-year-old Brigham Young University history professor can use Veterans Day to appreciate his own 35 years of service.
“It’s been a tremendous honor to serve in the United States military with the oath to defend the Constitution and to bring American values and interests to Europe, and to Asia and to Africa,” Choate said.
He stepped away from the army in July after completing a 30-month diplomatic mission in Chad. In congruence with his retirement, he was given the prestigious Legion of Merit, which is awarded to soldiers who show “exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.”
“It was a great honor, because I’ve served for 35 years in the Army Reserve National Guard and on Army active duty,” Choate said. “And it really meant a lot to me and to my family to have this recognition together with all the other veterans who’ve served in the United States armed forces.”
Choate, who became a BYU professor in 2001, points to the time period as a critical one in his Army career, because 9/11 changed American security.
After going on tour to Virginia from 2002 to 2003 and Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011, he became an impactful diplomat in Africa in tours to Sudan from 2015 to 2016 and to Chad from 2022 to 2024.
In his role as defense attaché in Sudan, Choate was instrumental in advancing President Barack Obama’s five-track engagement plan to lift economic sanctions and repair diplomatic relations with the nation. Choate worked against the Lord Resistance Army terrorist group and reestablished military relations between the United States and Sudan.
“We had the first general officer and flag officer visit in over 30 years, reestablishing military-to-military relations between the United States and Sudan,” Choate said. “It went so well. I was so happy.”
In his diplomatic mission in Chad, Choate served both as the senior defense official and defense attaché overseeing security cooperation and security assistance in the nation. He also was the senior official for U.S. forces assisting the Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism mission.
“A lot of it was coordinating with the United States Africa Command and the National Security Council, and the U.S. State Department and the Chadian army, the Chadian air force, the Chadian joint chiefs of staff and the Chadian anti-terrorism forces,” he said. “And so it was a lot of making everything a win-win as much as possible.”
Choate’s family was able to make an impact in the country as well. His wife, Tova, served as the public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy, and his two sons, who were fluent in French after going through the French Immersion Program at Edgemont Elementary School and living in France for a year, studied at a French school in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital.
Following the tour, Choate returned to Provo to resume teaching history at BYU, where he holds two classes this semester. He hopes to take what he’s learned from his career and use it to help his students understand the world better.
“History is a way to understand other people and understand present and also future concerns,” he said. “So I’m hoping to teach that history is still continuing, and my students can make a real difference in the world.”
