Thomas William O'Connell

Thomas W. O’Connell, 69, of Alexandria, VA died unexpectedly on January 19, 2016. He was born in Great Barrington, MA to Thomas “Jerry” and Clara A. O’Connell on July 30, 1946, longtime residents of Jamestown. Tom was raised in Jamestown, attending Junior and Senior High School in Newport. He was married to Patricia Ledew of Hallowell, Maine in 1968.

Colonel O’Connell was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at the University of Rhode Island in 1968 with a BA in Economics. He later earned a Masters Degree in Management from Central Michigan University while attending the Army’s Command and General Staff College. While at the Naval War College, he also earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations, graduating with the highest distinction.

After an Infantry tour with the 4th Armored Division in Erlangen, Germany, Colonel O’Connell served in Southeast Asia as a field advisor to Vietnamese forces, including duties in the PHOENIX Program, and was awarded three medals for valor. Serving as a Combat Intelligence instructor and Company Commander at the Army Intelligence Center, he then spent three years with the 82nd Airborne Division as an intelligence officer at battalion, brigade, and division levels. Colonel O’Connell then spent two years on exchange duty with the British Army at the Joint Service Intelligence Centre in the United Kingdom. He was then assigned as the Senior Intelligence Officer to 1st SFOD-DELTA from 1980 to 1983 and commanded the 313th MI Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division for two years. After attendance at the Naval War College, he returned to Fort Bragg as the Director of Intelligence, J2, Joint Special Operations Command, and continued in the Special Operations Intelligence field with a two and half year brigade command of an Army Special Mission Unit. Selected as an original member of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Military Affairs in 1993 he then retired in the summer of 1995 after 27 years of service. After retirement, he served as a Senior Manager for Raytheon Corporation for seven years. He was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the US Senate in 2003 to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. He made numerous trips to combat zones during his tenure. Upon leaving the Pentagon in April, 2007, he received the Department’s highest award for civilian service, as well as that of the US Coast Guard.

Colonel O’Connell’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, Master Parachutist and Expert Infantry Badges. He is a member of the US Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame (inducted 2008) and the University of Rhode Island Military Hall of Fame.

Mr. O’Connell was currently working as a dependent defense and intelligence consultant, and serving on several boards including the Board of Directors of the Green Beret Foundation. He and his wife Patricia resided in Alexandria, VA. Both his sons are combat veterans.

Thomas is survived by his wife Patricia of 47 years, sons Andrew and Kevin, granddaughters Dolly Elizabeth, and Colby Anne O’Connell, a sister Sally of Plymouth, MA and several nieces and nephews.

He was a communicant of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in