William J. Cahir
Born December 20, 1968
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bill attended State College Area High School.
He lettered on the swim team and
graduating in 1986.
Bill enrolled in Penn State University.
Bill
participated on the water polo team, in student theater, and was widely
recognized for his column in the Daily Collegian.
Bill graduated from Penn State with honors in 1990,
earning a BA in English.
Bill moved to Washington DC to serve as a congressional staffer, working on health care and education legislation first for Sen. Ted Kennedy on the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, and later for Sen. Harris Wofford.
In 1995, Bill turned to a career in journalism, reporting for The Southampton Press and then Education Daily. In 1999, Bill began covering national politics as the Washington DC correspondent for newspapers owned by Media News Group and Newhouse Newspapers, including The Easton Express-Times, The York Dispatch, and The Gloucester County Times.
As with his column at the Daily Collegian, Bill was known as a reporter who tackled controversial topics with sensitivity, fairness, and balance.
After the September 11th attacks,
Bill was motivated to serve his country in a more active role.
He petitioned for an age waiver to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Reserves at the age of 34. In October 2003, he attended recruit training at Parris Island and was assigned to the 4th Civil Affairs Group (CAG) in Washington, DC.
As a Civil Affairs Marine, Bill would be called upon to use his political and community knowledge to help address the underlying causes of insurgency.
Bill
was soon called to active duty;
by March 2007 had completed two
tours in Iraq.
.
During the first, he participated in combat operations
in Ramadi and Fallujah and supported the civil-military operations
center during the historic Al Fajr campaign in November 2004.
During
his second tour, Bill was instrumental in contributing to the "Anbar
Awakening" and the reconciliation of Sunni tribal leaders, working as
an adviser to the Fallujah City Council and coordinating civil-military
projects
As a result of these efforts, Bill was meritoriously promoted to the rank of Sergeant in April 2007. That same year, he was honored as the Civil Affairs' "Enlisted Marine of the Year." He also received the 4th CAG "Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year" award.
In addition to his military accomplishments,
Bill's personal and professional life continued to flourish.
In April 2006, Bill married René Browne,
an attorney from Alexandria, VA
In 2008, Bill ran for Congress
in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Despite being a relative unknown, Bill ultimately secured
35% of the vote, narrowly losing the Democratic primary. Following
his run for public office, Bill began working for Booz Allen Hamilton
as a Senior Strategic Communications Consultant.
In May 2009,
Bill deployed on a 3rd tour of duty with the USMC.
This
time, Bill deployed to Afghanistan with the 4th CAG Detachment - in
support of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. He served as team
chief and was assigned to support the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in the
Helmand River Valley. Sergeant Cahir coordinated several civil-military
projects and participated in numerous combat operations.
Sergeant William J. Cahir was killed in action
August 13, 2009
Bill was awarded the Purple Heart, posthumously September 13, 2009
Bill is survived by his wife, René.
She is expecting twins, their first children,
in December of this year.
Keep Bill's ideals alive...
By helping to support his children.
Please Contribute
to the Bill Cahir Memorial Fund
