Plano veteran reflects on 6 years in U.S. Army

Bill Colbert, 41, of Plano, has spent the last several Veterans Days at an honorary ceremony at his children’s school, surrounded by fellow veterans and classic breakfast treats.

“All the kids will sing songs and give their praise and respect to all the veterans,” he said.

Colbert, who joined the U.S. Army in 2001, said he had two main motivations for enlisting, the biggest being his family’s past generations of service. His father, Garry, served in same branch during the Vietnam War, and his grandfather, Raymond, served during World War II.

Additionally, Colbert said, he knew that he wasn’t ready for college. “I needed something more than just going straight into the workforce,” he said.

Colbert spent his basic training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, going on to complete advanced training in Texas at Fort Bliss. From there, he spent almost three and a half years in Germany, where he was deployed twice – to Kosovo and Iraq.

“I spent about three months in Kosovo, and then came back to get geared up and ready to deploy to Iraq,” he said.

His primary job was air defense, though he had limited opportunities to carry out the duties given that the U.S. Air Force “is one of the stronger air forces in the world.”

As a result, Colbert said one of his main responsibilities during each round of deployment was convoy security alongside other units that were in each country.

He transitioned to Fort Irwin in California after a year of service in Iraq, where his unit was responsible for training soldiers preparing to deploy to either Afghanistan or Iraq.

Colbert left the service in 2007 and began working for the Fort Worth, Texas-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. He earned a degree in business management from Southern Illinois University in 2015. Colbert also is the father of three young children, aged 11, 9 and 7.

Donald Carpenter, 41, of Yorkville, met Colbert through their children. Carpenter said their friendship continued because of their shared veteran status and appreciates Colbert for his “honesty, sense of humor and generosity.”

“Bill is a hardworking family man,” Carpenter said. “He is outgoing, gregarious and very dedicated to his faith.”

Although the pair did not serve together, Carpenter said Colbert is a “patriot in every sense of the word,” adding that he is a “very active member” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Sandwich.

Founded in 1934, the VFW advocates for the rights of veterans involved in overseas conflicts and fosters community among veterans.

Colbert said he became a member of the nonprofit in 2018. He became a lifetime member a year later, and he has gone on to hold multiple leadership roles – including senior vice commander and post commander.

“Because of my young family, I have taken a step back to spend time with my kids,” he said.

Colbert said he “thoroughly enjoyed” his six years in the Army. “It was a great learning experience,” he said. “It allowed me to grow up and mature very quickly.”

During his time in the service, he earned a variety of medals including the Army Commendation Medal, Iraqi Service Ribbon, National Terrorism Service Ribbon and other National Defense ribbons.