30 years after trading his graduation cap for a flight helmet, Colonel Bradley Harms (BA, ‘95, history) returned to campus during homecoming for another career accomplishment: receiving the 2025 Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association. He said his degree from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences was essential to his success.
“One of the things I thought was really, valuable, was the depth and breadth of the academic experience in LAS,” he said. “Certainly, all the skills I learned in college, with respect to critical thinking, writing, and time management, were pivotal to any success I had in my career.”
The grandson of a U of I professor and son of two alumni, Harms first arrived on campus in 1991, planning to follow in the footsteps of his father (a retired vice-admiral) and grandfather (a World War II naval aviator) with a career in the military. The Cold War and Persian Gulf War were ending and Harms realized there was a high likelihood he would be deployed to the Middle East. Originally a political science major, he pivoted to history so he could build a deeper understanding of the region.
Harms remembers learning from “incredible faculty in the history department” in particular, professors Keith Hitchens and Kenneth Cuno (now retired). He described the education he received as “priceless” and said the exchange of ideas in his upper-level courses instilled in him the importance of understanding different viewpoints.
Applying classroom lessons in the field
After graduating with the national Navy ROTC Distinguished Naval Graduate Award, Harms was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He completed training as a naval aviator and qualified as an aircraft commander for MV-22 tiltrotor, VH-3D, VH-60 and CH-46 helicopters. He went on to a distinguished career in the U.S. Marine Corps that culminated in serving as chief of staff for the White House Military Office, directing a joint military command of more than 4,100 personnel supporting the president, vice president, and first lady during the 2024 presidential election, transition, and the 2025 inauguration.
As a history major, he gained more than knowledge of the Middle East—he honed the critical-thinking skills that carried him through combat deployments to Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, command of the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161 in Miramar, Calif, and command of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, the largest aviation unit in the Marine Corps. He said the lessons he learned at Illinois also helped him navigate challenging situations while deployed.
“The values I learned at the U of I and the work ethic were equally as important as our academics. And all those lessons served me well in some stressful circumstances in the Marine Corps,” he said. “I attribute a lot of that to the leadership, the faculty, the people, and the quality of our institution. I’m eternally grateful for that.”
Harms said his education in history also gave him a strong understanding of the role of the military that was crucial when he was deployed overseas.
“I think it’s important, particularly when you talk about representing your country on deployments overseas, to understand our role as the military instrument of national power and where that fits in the big picture with the diplomatic information and economic instruments,” he said. “I walked away from that education knowing that all instruments of national power are critically important to our success as a nation.”
Harms said his education in the College of LAS gave him a “hunger to continue learning” and he went on to obtain three master's degrees. He received his first master’s degree with distinction in military history from the Command and Staff College at Marine Corps University, a second master’s degree with highest distinction in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a third master’s degree in international relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He also served as the senior military fellow for the commandant of the Marine Corps at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.
Last flight through history
Prior to leading the White House Military Office, Harms was the longest-serving commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, leading more than 1,000 personnel in the 24/7, fast-paced, no-fail responsibility of providing global helicopter transportation for the president. Under his leadership the squadron completed more than 12,000 flight hours and 630 high-profile missions, and he personally piloted more than 100 flights, including leading a combat deployment to Israel.
In June 2024, Harms flew President Biden to the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, and his speech at Pointe du Hoc. While there, they also visited the World War I battlefield Belleau Wood, which Harms described as “sacred ground” for the Marine Corps, and D-Day landing site Omaha Beach. Though he still had two weeks left as commander, he decided those would be his last flights, a fitting end for a Marine pilot and former history major.
“We landed at the top of that hill where the soldiers had assaulted that beach, and it was kind of overwhelming and emotional for both us and the president ... It was very special,” he said.
Harms retired as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps in June 2025 after 30 years of active duty. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star, the Air Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He also was awarded the Matthew C. Perry Award for International Research by the U.S. Naval War College. He is currently working for the aerospace company RTX in propriety programs.
Editor’s Note: This piece is partially adapted from the award announcement from the University of Illinois Alumni Association.