Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Harold D. Williams:
LTC Williams was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, Arkansas and graduated in 1991. LTC Williams has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Excelsior College and a Master’s Degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.
LTC Williams enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard on February 24, 1992, into 2nd Battalion, 114th Aviation in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) at the Arkansas Military Academy and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant on July 8, 1997, as an Infantry Platoon Leader with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
LTC Williams’ previous assignments include Rifle Platoon Leader, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (Batesville), Signal Platoon Leader, B Company, 212th Signal Battalion (Benton), Executive Officer, B Company, 212th Signal Battalion (Benton), Battalion S6, 3rd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (Iraq), Commander, D Company, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (Newport), S3 Air, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (Searcy), Battalion S3, 39th Brigade Special Troops Battalion (Conway), Battalion Executive Officer, 39th Brigade Special Troops Battalion (Conway), Battalion Executive Officer, 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (Malvern), Brigade S1, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Little Rock), Commander, Joint Forces Headquarter Detachment (Ricks Armory – Little Rock), Deputy Chief of Staff Operations – Force Integration Readiness Officer, Joint Forces Headquarters Detachment (Camp Robinson), Legislative Liaison and Joint Forces Headquarters Detachment (Camp Robinson).
On July 1, 2018, LTC Williams assumed the duties as Commander, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment (Searcy). He was the first African American to serve as the Commander of this Battalion. His culminating assignment was Antiterrorism Force Protection Officer, Joint Forces Headquarters Detachment (Camp Robinson).
His operational deployments include Operation Southern Watch, Kuwait (1999), Operation Noble Eagle, Little Rock Air Force Base, Jacksonville, Arkansas (2003), Operation Iraqi Freedom II, Baghdad Iraq (2004-2005), Humanitarian Relief Efforts in Support of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans (2005), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2008), Camp Korean Village and Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.
LTC Williams’ military education include the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Captains Career Course, Signal Officer Advance Course, Human Resources Management Course, Intermediate Level Education (ILE) Advanced Operations Course, and the Army National Guard Strategic Planning and Management Course.
LTC Williams received the following awards and decoration to include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed forces Expeditionary Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, National Infantry Association Order of Saint Maurice – Centurion, the Signal Corps Order of Mercury, and the Adjutant General’s Corps Colonel Robert L. Manning Achievement Medal.
He is a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Incorporated and a lifetime member of the National Infantry Association. LTC Williams is a member of the Masonic Lodge Saint John 329 and a graduate the Leadership of Greater Little Rock Class of XXXIII and was selected the program’s first Student-Graduate Keynote Speaker.
LTC Williams retired on August 31, 2022, with over 29 years of distinguished military service. He and his family currently reside in New Market, Alabama.