Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Kelly, an experienced combat leader and Chicago Police Officer, has been selected as the 15th State Command Sergeant Major for the Illinois Army National Guard. He will be replacing Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Barber who has accepted a Senior Enlisted Leader assignment with First Army at Rock Island Arsenal.
“Command Sergeant Major Barber has done a stellar job since November 2022 and I’m confident he will excel at First Army. Command Sergeant Major Kelly has decades of experience in combat, humanitarian operations, and domestic response. I’m confident in his ability to lead our Soldiers in the Illinois Army National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, The Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. “He has served in every leadership role within our organization and will be instrumental in placing our people first.”
As the State Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly will serve as the primary advisor on all enlisted matters to the Assistant Adjutant General – Army and Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard Col. (promotable) Lenny Williams. He is currently the Command Sergeant Major of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“I have known Command Sergeant Major Kelly for many years. He has excelled throughout his military career in all that he does. He is well equipped to mentor and lead the enlisted Soldiers of the Illinois Army National Guard and to advise our officers of every rank,” Williams said.
“Our Soldiers and their families are the heart of our organization. I am deeply honored and excited to take on this responsibility and will strive to ensure Soldiers receive tough and realistic training,” Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly said. “At the same time, we must continue to recruit the best qualified individuals into the Illinois Army National Guard while retaining the exceptional talent already serving in our ranks. I am extremely proud of all that our Soldiers do on a daily basis and will continue to represent them to the best of my ability.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly has been in the Army for 35 years and has served the community as a Chicago Police Officer for the past 24 years. His latest police assignment was in the Mounted Patrol Unit used in crowd control and directed missions. He previously served as part of the 7th District Tactical Team in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago and as a patrolman.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly enlisted in the Army Reserves in February 1989 and completed basic training, Airborne School and Parachute Rigger School. Shortly after completing his initial training, he enlisted into active duty and was assigned to the 5th QM Detachment (Aerial Delivery) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Following Desert Storm, he deployed twice to Operations Provide Comfort I and Provide Comfort III, conducting one of the largest humanitarian air drops in history along with sling load operations in Turkey and Northern Iraq to assist Kurdish refugees fleeing Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein.
After his tour of duty in Europe, Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly was then assigned to 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he served in Asia assisting forward deployed high altitude-low opening (HALO) insertion and scuba teams. Upon completion of active duty, he joined the Washington Army National Guard as a Bradley Dismount Infantry Team Leader with the 161st Infantry (Mechanized).
Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly then returned to Illinois and served in every leadership position from team leader to Command Sergeant Major with the 131st Infantry Battalion, the 178th Infantry Battalion and as the Chief Operations Sergeant Major of the 244th Digital Liaison Detachment.
He deployed in 2008 to 2009 as the First Sergeant of C Co., 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment where the unit served at Combat Outpost Najil and Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Afghanistan. Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly redeployed to Afghanistan in 2019 to 2020 where he was the Task Force Southeast Command Sergeant Major at AP Lightning covering seven provinces. He served in multiple roles with 1st Armored Division Train, Advise and Assist Commands, the 1-178th Infantry Battalion Command Sergeant Major and as an advisor to the 203rd Afghan National Army Corps’ Command Sergeant Major.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly graduated Magna Cum Laude from Excelsior College with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. He also graduated from dozens of military courses including the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Course, the Jungle Warfare School, the Brigade Pre-Command Course, the Pathfinder Course, the Jumpmaster Course, Air Assault School, and Airborne School.
He is a member of the National Guard Association of Illinois, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Golden Key National Honor Society, which he earned while attending the University of Illinois at Chicago.
He also has multiple awards and decorations including two Bronze Star Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly lives in Chicago with his spouse, Alaina. They will celebrate their 15th anniversary in December. Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly has two adult step-children, Racquel and Alec, and three children, 13-year-old Abigail, 12-year-old Liam, and 11-year-old Ava.
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