Two brothers, Air Force Capt. Noah Palicia, left, and Army Lt. Col. Eric Palicia, are competing in NBC’s The Titan Games. The two previously competed in the Alpha Warrior Inter-Service competition with Capt. Palicia and a team of Air Force athletes finishing first, and Lt. Col. Palicia and a team of Army athletes placing second. Photo by Deborah Aragaon, U.S. Air Force. ()
An Army officer stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany and his Air Force officer brother from Yokota are about to become more than American Forces Network (AFN) viewers. Next week they become military athlete stars on the network’s prime time entertainment line-up.
Army Lt. Col. Eric Palicia and Air Force Capt. Noah Palicia compete in the episode of NBC’s The Titan Games airing June 16 at 8 p.m. Central European Time/Japan Korea Time on AFN|spectrum. The Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hosted show features people from across America competing in endurance-based mental and physical challenges of "epic proportions" for the title of Titan.
Lt. Col Palicia | Photo by Chris Haston/NBC
During the episode, AFN will air a series of behind the scene stories of how the brothers train and compete and how the experience made their bond even stronger.
Lt. Col. Palicia, stationed with the United States Army Europe Headquarters as the Deputy for Facilities and Construction, expects a full critique of his performance to follow.
“I would be surprised and disappointed if my fellow Soldiers didn’t give me a hard time for some silly things I was either told to say on camera or let slip out of my mouth,” he said. “Everyone in the Headquarters all the way back to my high school have already given me a load of ribbing, which is great. I’ve also got a ton of friends deployed and now they’ve got something to over analyze and make sure I never live down.”
His brother, Capt. Noah Palicia, a C130J instructor pilot stationed in Yokota, Japan, expects similar treatment.
Capt. Noah Palicia | Photo by Chris Haston/NBC
“I’m thrilled…and a little terrified! I just don’t want to become a meme!” Capt. Palicia laughed.
Appearing on the show was an unforgettable experience for both of the brothers.
“I was able to meet some incredible celebrities like Major General Leavitt (the first female fighter pilot), The Rock, Victor Cruz, Joe Thomas, Tyron Woodley, and legends in the CrossFit world like Matt Chan, Dani Speegle, and Margaux Alvarez. It was heartwarming to see first- hand how kind and passionate these folks are in real life. I pushed myself to new limits, had a ton of fun, and most importantly bonded with my younger brother doing something we both enjoy most…competition,” said Lt. Col. Palicia.
Viewers have a very determined behind-the-scenes person to thank for getting the show on NBC and AFN. Capt. Palicia’s wife Lesly posted a message on The Titan Games Instagram saying that they should choose the Palicia brothers. They took her advice. Mission complete!
