District Attorney George Brauchler, an officer in the Colorado Army National Guard, was promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel Sunday in a ceremony attended by military brass and the prosecutor’s family.

“Some want to serve, but cannot. Some can serve, but choose not to. I have been blessed to have the ability to serve my country and my state in uniform for a long time now,” Brauchler told The Colorado Statesman in a statement. “I am honored to be promoted to a position which allows me to do even more for Colorado.”

Brauchler, 47, was accompanied by his wife, Marcia, and their four children, Trey, Amanda, Geoff and Graham, as he took the oath of office from Brigadier General Donald Laucirica at the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center in Denver.

He has served as legal advisor to NORAD/USNORTHCOM since transferring to the Guard two years ago. He was previously regional defense counsel for the 22nd Legal Operations Detachment and served in northern Iraq as part of Task Force Iron Horse. Earlier, he was chief of military justice at Fort Carson, an Army installation in El Paso County.

Major Gen. H. Michael Edwards, the adjutant general for Colorado, spoke at the ceremony, and Boy Scout Troop 373 of the Centennial District – Brauchler’s son Trey is a troop member – provided the color guard.

Brauchler, a Republican, is serving his second term as district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, covering Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. His name figures prominently among potential gubernatorial candidates in next year’s election, when Gov. John Hickenlooper is term-limited.

After growing up in Lakewood, Brauchler graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from the University of Colorado Boulder and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law.

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com