Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Joseph Frederick Fil Jr. (born 22 May 1953) was commissioned a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in June 1976. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

. He has served in Army units in the United States, Germany, Belgium and Iraq.

Education

His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

from San Jose State University, a Masters of Science in Administration from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

, a Masters of Military Arts and Science from the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

and a Masters of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

at the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

. He is a graduate from the Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the National War College. He has served in various command and staff positions at the battalion, brigade, division, combat training centers, Army Staff, NATO and Multi-National Security Transition Command.

Military career

In 1977, his first assignment was with 2d Battalion 68th Armor Battalion, 8th Infantry Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany. There he served as a platoon leader in Charlie Company, the Executive Officer for Alpha Company, Battalion S-1 and Battalion S-4. Following his attendance at the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Fil was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia in May 1981. There he served as Assistant Operations Officer, 1st Brigade, commander Alpha Company, 2d Battalion, 70th Armor and Operations Officer, 2d Battalion, 70th Armor. In 1984, after serving at Fort Stewart, Fil served as Research and Development Officer, School of Acquisition Management, United States Army Logistics Management Center, Fort Lee, Virginia followed by services as an Armor Staff Officer, Armored Family of Vehicles Task Force, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Washington, D.C. in 1986. Upon completion of the Command and General Staff College in 1989, he served as the Operations Officer and later as Executive Officer 3d Battalion, 35th Armor, 1st Armored Division in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

, Germany. In 1990, Fil served as Logistics Officer, 3d Brigade, 1st Armored Division during Operations Desert Shield/Storm and later as Executive Officer, 3d Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Bamberg, Germany. In 1992, Fil was reassigned to

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...

where he commanded 1st Battalion,

12th Cavalry The 5th Horse is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the 11th ...

, 1st Cavalry Division. After completing the National War College in Washington, D.C., Fil was assigned to Operations Group at the National Training Center in

Fort Irwin, California Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC) is a major training area for the United States military in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of . It is located northeast o ...

. There he served as the Senior Armor Task Force Trainer, Senior Brigade Combat Team Trainer and then he served as the Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff for Fort Irwin. In 1997, Lieutenant General Fil returned to Fort Hood, Texas and commanded 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. In 1999, he returned to Germany and served as Commander, Operations Group for the United States Army Combat Maneuver Training Center at th
Hohenfels Training Area
in Hohenfels, Germany. In 2000, he was reassigned to SHAPE, Belgium as Chief, Requirements and Programs Branch, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Policy, Supreme Allied Powers Europe/Deputy Commanding General, United States Army, NATO, Belgium. Upon returning to the United States in 2002, Fil served as the Commanding General, National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. From September 2004 to October 2005, Fil served as the Commanding General, Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq. From November 2005 to February 2008, Fil served as the Commanding General, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. In November 2006, then Major General Fil deployed the division to Iraq and served as the Commanding General, Multi National Division - Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during the "surge." In February 2008, Fil relinquished command of 1st Cavalry Division, was promoted to Lieutenant General (LTG) and assumed command of Eighth United States Army and Chief of Staff/United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea. While still on active duty in the United States, then-LTG Fil was investigated in 2011 by the US Army for improperly receiving gifts worth approximately $3,500 while serving in Korea. Fil subsequently retired as a Major General (MG), a decision Secretary of the Army John McHugh made “after weighing the substantiated allegations of misconduct . . . against an otherwise long and distinguished career.”

Personal

He is the son of Joseph Frederick Fil Sr. (25 May 1928 – 16 September 2016) and Susan Rose (Gorman) Fil. The couple were married on 17 June 1952 in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and had four sons. Fil Jr. was raised in

Portola Valley, California Portola Valley is a town in San Mateo County, California. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area, Portola Valley is a small, wealthy community nestled on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. History Portola Val ...

, but was born in neighboring

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fil, Joseph 1953 births Living people People from Portola Valley, California San Jose State University alumni Central Michigan University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni National War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Military personnel from California