Captain Roger A. Motzko enlisted in U.S. Air Force in 1973 serving four years as a North Vietnamese Linguist and a member of the 44th CES. Following graduation from the University of Minnesota, School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering degree in September 1984, he was the principal design engineer at Lull Engineering Corporation. In 1985 he accepted a position as an airport engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With the FAA, he was charged with civil airport development for three states and teaching project management and pavement design at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Ensign Motzko was direct commissioned in the Navy Reserve, U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps in July 1987, just prior to accepting a civilian position as Chief Engineer with the FAA Airports Division in Alaska.
Reporting to Navy Reserve duty in 1987, ENS Motzko was assigned to NMCB-25, as a company officer. While with NMCB-25, ENS Motzko worked as Company Commander and Training Officer, performing active duty tours reconstructing airfields and water systems in USCENTCOM, before his transfer to the 3RD NCB Planning Staff in 1993. During his tour with the 3RD NCB, LT Motzko deployed to Africa in support of USCOMNAVCENT to perform airfield surveys in Eritrea, and to Korea in support of MARFORPAC as the Engineering Officer to the Force. In October 1996 LT Motzko was assigned to the Operations Department, 30TH NCR, and was recalled to active duty to serve in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a military engineer liaison officer to the President of the United States Ambassador for Reconstruction, where he directed the landmine removal program and served as a staff officer to IFOR CJ-3 Air Operations. Returning to the United States in 1997 LT Motzko was assigned by the Secretaries of Defense and State to the UN's Military Cell at the Office of the High Representative as the Executive Officer in Sarajevo, BiH. During his third tour in Bosnia LT Motzko rebuilt the commercial air service system and created the new Bosnian Directorate of Civil Aviation.
In 1998 LT Motzko reported to the J-44 USPACOM, and in 2001 LCDR Motzko was assigned as the Operations Officer NMCB-18. Following his operations tour, Commander Motzko served as Chief Information Officer NAVFAC CEG, and NAVFAC liaison to the J44 Engineer at USNORTHCOM, prior to his assignment as Chief Staff Officer 1 NCR in 2006, from which he was recalled to active duty as the 22 NCR Future Operations and Plans Officer Forward, deployed to Kuwait and the Horn of Africa.
In October 2007 Commander Motzko assumed Command of NMCB-18. Following his Command Tour, Captain Motzko was assigned as Vice Commander, 25 NCR where he served until the Haiti Earthquake in January 2010, when he was reassigned to Commander, 4TH Fleet and forwarded to JTF-Haiti as the J7 Engineer. Captain Motzko is currently assigned as the Commanding Officer of the NR-TCEM at USSOUTHCOM.
Captain Motzkos personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Services Commendation Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters, other personal, unit and theater awards, and he is a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer. Captain Motzko continues to be employed in his civilian career as Manager, Runway Safety Program at the FAA with Offices in Anchorage Alaska and Washington DC, and teaches at the University of Alaska in the Aviation Program.