David Firester

With a law enforcement and military career spanning a decade, David Firester has founded his professional development upon service and commitment to the welfare of his community. As an Intelligence Analyst for the United States Army Reserve, he contributed to intelligence products for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Arabian Peninsula mission. David Firester’s key role as imagery analyst involved the supervision of aerial and ground imagery development, as well as quality control for all aerial image analysis reports. In active duty for Task Force Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize (ODIN), Firester was the first Air Sensor Operator (ASO) in the Iraq theater; indeed, he was the first ASO in the history of the U.S. Army. In this role, he was responsible for operating a bevy of sophisticated imaging systems, including the MX-15D FMV camera, Peters equipment Aerial Reconnaissance Low (PeARL) Camera, and various cartographical software.David Firester received consistently excellent evaluations from his superiors, as well as the United States Army Air Medal for combat performance. Firester’s additional training with the United States military includes Basic Combat Training (BCT), Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in intelligence, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (BNCOC), Warrior Leadership Course (WLC), and various other intelligence courses.Firester’s rigorous military training complemented his civilian roles in law enforcement. After five years as Deputy Sheriff in Orange County, New York, he served as a police officer in the Town of Chester, New York, performing duties related to crime scene investigation, field training, and evidence collection. Firester’s drive to succeed is equally evident in his scholastic life. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), he returned to City College (CUNY) to complete a Master’s in International Relations in 2011, for which he earned the prestigious John Herz Award for Best Master’s Thesis in International Relations. David Firester is currently pursuing his PhD at The Graduate Center (CUNY) with a projected completion date of 2016.