Former Woodbury Heights resident retires after nearly 29 years of service to his country
After nearly 29 years of service to the United States Army both active and reserve, Col. William J. Reilly announced his retirement on March 31.
Colonel William J. Reilly Colonel Reilly, 51, a former resident of Woodbury Heights and a graduate of Gateway Regional High School, joined the U.S. Army after being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers from the University of Delaware in 1987 where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.
After four years of active duty service at Fort Carson, Colorado where he served in numerous combat engineering leadership roles and missions, Col. Reilly transitioned to the U.S. Army Reserves where he has held several leadership and command positions in positions that were responsible for training Army staffs in military operations. In 2003, he was called back to active duty for one year in support of the Global War on Terrorism where his unit was responsible for training deploying units at mobilization bases.
Col. Reilly is a graduate of several military schools including the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Sapper Leader Course, Combined Arms Staff Services School and Command and General Staff College. He also received a Master's in Business Administration from Saint Joseph's University. He is a recipient of numerous awards and medals throughout his military service to include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
A retirement ceremony was held on March 6 at the Fort Myer Officers Club in Arlington, Virginia, just outside the Arlington National Cemetery.
Col. Reilly is the son of Bill and Kitty Reilly who reside in Mantua, and the brother of Kelly (Dave DeFusco) and Jackie (Jason Schubert). He has a daughter, Katie, 25 and son Chris, 22. Col. Reilly currently resides in Ashburn, Virginia with his wife, Darlene, where he is the chief operating officer of a marketing company.
This item submitted by Bill and Kitty Reilly.