A native son of Cary, Illinois. and a resident of Champaign was promoted to colonel on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Illinois Army National Guard’s Urbana Armory.
Col. Bart J. Daly serves within the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Staff as the Director of Military Support and has been selected as the Illinois National Guard’s Human Resource Officer at the beginning of next year.
“A true test of a leader is whether people follow you,” Brig. Gen. Lenny Williams, the Assistant Adjutant General – Army of the Illinois National Guard and Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard said during Daly’s promotion ceremony. “You, my friend, are a true leader. People follow you.”
Daly said his leadership style was “baked” into him by his father, Bart W. Daly, a Vietnam Veteran who loves woodworking. “When we were working, my father would say ‘Let the tool do the work.’” He applies that concept to Soldiers. “You buy the tool, you maintain the tool, you sharp the tool, but, ultimately, it is about letting it do its job.”
Daly was commissioned into the active-duty Army in 2004 as an Infantry Officer through Illinois State University’s Army ROTC program. After Infantry Officer training at what is now Fort Moore in Georgia, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, where he served as a platoon leader, company executive officer, and mortar platoon leader. From 2007 to 2009 he served with the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division on a Military Transition Team. He deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2008 to 2009.
Following that deployment, he transitioned into the Illinois Army National Guard. Following service in the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, he commanded B Co., 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment based in Elgin from 2011 to 2013. Following company command, he served in various staff positions within the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. In 2019, he deployed for a year to Afghanistan as the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment. Following the deployment, he served as the brigade executive officer from 2020 to 2021.
In June 2021, he took command of the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment based in Chicago. Following command, he served again as the executive officer of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team before beginning his current assignment as the Illinois National Guard’s Director of Military Support in April 2024.
His military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, nine Army Commendation Medals and the Expert Infantryman Badge. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army’s Ranger Course, Basic Airborne Course, Jumpmaster Course, Pathfinder Course, and Infantry Mortar Leader Course.
He is the proud father of 12-year-old daughter, Hanna, and 2-year-old son, Jai. He lives in Champaign with his spouse, Dr. Jennie Monaikul, an expert in toxicology who holds a doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Date Taken: | 10.19.2024 |
Date Posted: | 10.20.2024 16:09 |
Story ID: | 483505 |
Location: | URBANA, ILLINOIS, US |
Hometown: | CARY, ILLINOIS, US |
Hometown: | CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS, US |
Web Views: | 86 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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