William Collins

From Left: CAO Dan Beard,
Wounded Warrior Fellow William Collins,
Wounded Warrior Fellow Eric Lahammer
and Wounded Warrior Program Director Patricia Orsini.

When William Collins was just a teenager he stood in the Speaker of the House’s private office, in awe of the Capitol’s grandeur. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be back there, or even what he wanted from his life. Twenty five years later he stood in the same office, a soldier toughened by war, and sensed he’d come full circle.

“I feel like I’m meant to be here, right here, right now,” Collins, a former Major in the Army and current Wounded Warrior Fellow, said.

He was recently hired in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office as a veteran’s affairs advisor, a job his past experiences in the military and around the world have uniquely prepared him for.

Collins began his career in 1992 when he was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps. Shortly after, he finished law school and began his active duty Marine Corps service.  That service took him and his family literally around the world and back again from Okinawa, Japan, to the Washington Navy Yard, to teaching at Annapolis and finally to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.    

While stationed at Camp Lejeune, Collins did two deployments to Iraq totaling almost 18 months. During his first deployment he served as the Staff Judge Advocate for Regimental Combat Team 2 in Al Anbar Province. There he dealt with questions of international and operational law, military justice, administrative law and internal investigations into issues ranging from escalation of force to rules of engagement.

He was then deployed again and worked with the Multi National Forces, where his duties centered on “Rule of Law” development. He also worked with the Police Transition Teams and worked to “stand up” the Iraqi civilian legal system.

“We asked Iraqi judges to get back on the bench again,” he said. “They were afraid, but they were the backbone of the legal system.  By that August they had conducted their first criminal trial since before the war.”

Near the end of this deployment Collins began experiencing complications from a previous medical condition that had been aggravated during his first deployment.  Shortly after his return this time the Marine Corps decided to medically retired him.

Collins drew parallels between his second deployment and his new position working with veterans groups as a Wounded Warrior Fellow.

“We were trying to make Iraq whole again, so they could stand on their own feet,” he said. “That’s the vision here — to make veterans and their families whole again and I’m proud to be a part of it.”