Joseph F. Connolly, II enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at an early age.  Indeed, he completed his first enlistment before legally becoming an adult. 

As a Marine scout-observer, he served in 1963 with a specially trained Marine infantry unit, the first Marine ground unit to be assigned to duty in Vietnam.  It was, however, as a member of the United States Army Special Forces, commonly known as the “Green Berets”, that he was to find his military calling.

His professional military education includes, but is not limited to:

• Special Forces Operations & Intelligence Course.

• Squadron Officer Course.

• Air Command and Staff College

• National Security Management Program, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.

As a special forces operator, his professional military training includes, but is not limited to, unconventional warfare (including guerilla-, counter-guerilla-, resistance-, & political-warfare), psychological warfare, civil affairs, military medicine and nursing, airborne and pathfinder operations, ranger operations, amphibious operations, scout swimmer operations, and intelligence collection and analysis.

During his thirty-plus years of military service to the nation, in addition to expeditionary service, he served on eight named military campaigns, before being medically retired as a result of his accumulated operational injuries.  Also during that service, he was honored with a number of United States and foreign awards and decorations.  Joseph is privileged to be one of a mere handful of men eligible to wear both the Combat Infantry Badge and the Combat Medical Badge.