Connor promoted to Colonel
February 22, 2016
COLUMBIA, SC – Bill Connor was promoted to the rank of colonel (0-6) in the U.S. Army Reserve during ceremonies at the S.C. Adjutant General’s headquarters auditorium, Fri., Feb. 19.
According to the promotion orders, Connor has officially served at his new rank since Aug. 2015, though Friday was his official pinning ceremony attended by family; friends; the director of the S.C. Emergency Management Division; several senior Army and Marine Corps veterans and actively serving officers.
“All glory to God,” said Connor immediately following the proceedings. “And a huge thank you to my family all of whom have been with me all the way, sacrificing while I was gone through long training evolutions and then – though we all experienced the hardship of separation from one another – they had to endure the anxiety and uncertainty of my combat deployments.”
Connor’s wife, Dr. Susan Connor, was recognized by Col. John Thompson (the Defense Coordinating Officer for FEMA Region 4), the ceremony’s presiding officer; as were the Connor children – Peyton, Brenna, and Will – Connor’s mother Kathy and father Lt. Col. William Mellard Connor IV, U.S. Army (Ret.) who administered the oath of office to his son.
A recipient of the Silver Star, Connor’s father is “fourth” (Connor himself is “fifth” and son Will is “sixth”) in a long line of distinguished military officers of the same name. The first William Mellard Connor fought all four years of the Civil War for South Carolina. William Mellard Connor II served as Gen. John. J. “Black Jack” Pershing’s judge advocate during the Philippine insurrection. He retired as colonel in 1947 after many years as the head of the law department at West Point. William Mellard Connor III, was a West Point graduate (1936) and a Rhodes Scholar who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; ultimately retiring as general-officer. He too was a recipient of the Silver Star.
The just-promoted William Mellard “Bill” Connor V – who today serves as S.C.’s emergency preparedness liason officer (EPLO) also under FEMA Region 4 – is a 1990 graduate of The Citadel and an infantry officer (Airborne, Ranger, combat infantryman’s badge) having served both in the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions (commanding a company in the 25th’s famed “Wolfhounds”). He also commanded a Ranger company at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and he served as aide-de-camp to the commanding general of Ft. Benning. He has deployed several times to the Middle East and East Asia, including service in the Sinai and Afghanistan. A recipient of the Bronze Star, he served as the Joint Operations Officer for the Southern Region of Afghanistan and the senior U.S. Advisor to Helmand Province. Stateside – prior to serving as S.C.’s EPLO – Connor has held various posts including senior Intermediate-level education (ILE) instructor (which includes the Command and General Staff College) and state coordinator for South Carolina.
In civilian life, Connor is both a partner in the Law Firm of Horger and Connor and a partner with National Defense Consultants. He has campaigned twice for elected office; first for the S.C. lieutenant governor’s seat, making the runoff election in the Republican primary, and second he ran for U.S. Senate.
A writer, Connor’s latest piece is in the Mar. 2016 issue of ARMY magazine.
