Robert O. Tilley

MEDALS-RIBBONS: Legion of Merit w/Gold Star, Bronze Star w/V, Purple Heart (2), Defense Meritorious Service, Navy Commendation, Combat Action, Presidential Unit Citation (2), Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation (2), National Defense (2), Vietnam Service w/4 Stars, Sea Service Deployment, Overseas Service (3), Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/Bronze Star, Outstanding Achievement Medal from the Philippines, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Vietnam Civil Action, 1st

Class Unit Citation, Vietnam Campaign w/Silver Device Col. Tilley served 29+ years as an Infantry Officer and 5+ years as a Ground Officer. He loved the Corps and lead with pride and care for his Marines. Colonel Tilley’s career spanned nearly thirty years as an infantry officer. A graduate of San Diego State University, he was commissioned through the Officer Candidate Program in Quantico, Virginia on 11 December 1964. He served two combat tours in Vietnam (1966-67) with the Fifth Marine Regiment. Late in his first tour while serving as a company Commander of K 3/5 he was critically wounded by machine gun fire and spent nearly six months recovering from his injuries. His second tour (1970-71) is the subject of a book A Personal War In Vietnam by Robert Flynn. Here he commanded a special operations unit called Golf CUPP 2/5 that was extremely successful in pacifying a large geographical area and inflicting heavy casualties on Communist Viet Cong forces..

During peacetime he trained recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego, developed real world training for Reserve Marines, played a significant role in focusing on the development of Desert Warfare Tactics and Doctrine and increasing effectiveness of supporting arms coordination through realistic live fire training.

As a Lieutenant Colonel he served as the Theater Army Ground Operations Officer Combined Forces Command in the Republic of Korea, commanded the largest recruiting station in the Corps in Los Angeles and organized and commanded the first Special Operations Capable (SOC) Battalion Landing Team to deploy from Camp Pendleton.

As a Colonel of Marines he headed the Anti-Terrorism Action Group, directly representing CINCPAC Fleet for the Pacific Rim and led a large combined force of Marines, Navy and indigenous Filipino security personnel that provided physical security for the U S Naval Base at Subic Bay.

He retired in 1991 from Camp Pendleton as Director of Morale Welfare and Recreation after generating over 107 million dollars per year in revenues aboard the base. And as Chairman, Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation San Diego for 15 years he raised over 1 million dollars in support of the foundation.

His awards include the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, one with Combat V, the Bronze Star with Combat V, two Purple Hearts, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Filipino Outstanding Achievement Medal and numerous other personal and unit awards.

Married 61 years to the former Rene Hummer of San Diego they were proud parents of three daughters and six grandchildren all residing minutes away from their home in beautiful Fallbrook, California. Colonel Tilley passed away 18 October 2017.