Commander, 66th Aviation Brigade
Brigadier General James E. Kelly assumed the duties as Commander, 66th Aviation Brigade (Corps), Washington Army National Guard (WAARNG), on 2 November 2003. As Commander, he is responsible for the manning, training and readiness of the Brigade's units and its more than 3600 soldiers.
General Kelly's active military service began in 1968 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was appointed a Warrant Officer in May of 1969 and served in the Republic of Vietnam from June 1969 to June 1970. During his Vietnam tour, he served with the 4th Aviation Battalion, 4th Infantry Division flying both attack and scout helicopters in the Pleiku and An Khe areas of operations.
After Vietnam, General Kelly completed his active duty assignment at Fort Rucker, AL as an Instructor Pilot in the OH-6A transition course, and joined the Washington Army National Guard in May of 1971. He received a direct commission in 1981 and has held numerous aviation command and staff assignments.
University of Puget Sound - BS Biology
2000 United States Army War College - MS Strategic Studies
1. May - Oct 81, Instructor Pilot, Attack Helicopter Troop, 116th Armored Cavalry, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
2. Oct 81 - May 82, Operations Officer, Attack Helicopter Troop, 116th Armored Cavalry, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
3. May 82 - Oct 82, Flight Operations Officer, Attack Helicopter Troop, 116th armored Cavalry, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
4. Oct 82 - Oct 83, Operations Officer, Attack Helicopter Troop, 116th Armored Cavalry, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
5. Nov 83 - Jun 84, Helicopter Pilot, Headquarters, 81st Infantry Brigade, Seattle, Washington
6. Jun 84 - May 88, Aviation Section Commander, Headquarters, 81st Infantry Brigade, Seattle, Washington
7. May 88 - Nov 91, Executive Officer, 1-168th Aviation (Attack Helicopter), Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
8. Nov 91 - Jan 93, S-3 (Operations), 1-168th Aviation (Attack Helicopter), Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
9. Jan 93 - Apr 93, S-1 (Personnel), 66th Aviation Brigade, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
10. Apr 93 - Jul 94, S-3 (Operations), 540th Aviation Group (Attack) Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
11. Jul 94 - Jul 96, Commander, 1-168th Aviation (Attack Helicopter) Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
12. Jul 96 - Jul 99, Executive Officer, 96th Troop Command, Tacoma, Washington
13. Jul 99 - Nov 00, Deputy to the Directorate of Plans, Operations and Training, Headquarters, Washington State Area Command (-), Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
14. Nov 00 - Sep 02, Directorate of Plans, Operations and Training and Military Support, Headquarters, Washington State Area Command (-), Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
15. Sep 02 - Nov 03, Chief of Staff, Washington Army National Guard, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
16. Nov 03 - Present, Commander 66th Aviation Brigade (Corps) also serving Acting Chief of Staff Washington Army Guard, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington
Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Medal with “V” Device and numeral 27
Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device and four Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster
National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star
Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars
Humanitarian Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Gold Hourglass Device
Army Service Ribbon
Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon with Numeral Three
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60 Device
Army Aviator Badge
Senior Army Aviator Badge
Master Army Aviator Badge
1LT ARNG 8 May 81
CPT ARNG 18 Aug 83
MAJ ARNG 17 Jun 88
LTC ARNG 25 Sep 93
COL ARNG 7 Jul 99
BG ARNG 2 Jul 04
(Current as of June 2005)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.