Chief Special Warfare Operator (Seal) Brian R. Bill

Special Warfare Operator Chief, Brian R Bill was born on Aug 23, 1979, joining his older brother Christian and sister Amy. His parents Patricia (Pat) Parry and E Scott Bill separated and both ultimately remarried. Scott had 2 more children and Pat married Dr. Michael Parry who had 2 children. Michael helped raise Brian from the age of 7 and Brian called him Dad.

Brian was killed in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011 when the helicopter he was riding in, call sign Extortion 17, was shot down. There were 31 American military personnel on board, of which 17 were Navy SEALs.

Brian grew up in Stamford and from an early age, was an active child. Growing up he was engaged in many physical activities, a pre-cursor to his skills as an adult. Sports and outdoor activities included swimming, tennis, skiing, soccer, little league, ice hockey, water polo, diving, golf, snow boarding, camping, fishing, and hiking. Many of these were team sports and in some cases he played in a league and on a travel team for the same sport .

Brian was also a Boy Scout and managed to participate fully in his troop, attending meetings and camping once a month. He attended Philmont, a high adventure scout camp, and earned the required merit badges and special project to earn his Eagle rank. He did all of this while playing sports, taking advanced courses in high school, and working for a local florist.

He attended Norwich University, the oldest private Military School in the US, in Northfield VT. Norwich channeled and challenged Brian. He graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering (to the astonishment of his HS math teacher) and enlisted in the Navy a few weeks later.

Brian was a devout Catholic, who was driven to excel for personal pride and his love of family, God, and country. His pastor and confessor (different men) came to his funeral and his confessor told us he met Brian in a bar!

Brian was a private and humble man who never sought personal embellishments or recognition. The extent of his military prowess and the numerous decorations he received for heroism were known to few, even in his own family. He was among America’s finest men; a son for whom the family’s pride has no limit. He was confident, daring and skilled, yet compassionate, loving and playful. His SEAL colleagues remember most vividly his courage, his equanimity, and his constant smile.

One of his Bronze Stars with Valor and Extraordinary Heroism says:
“PO 1st Class Bill was part of a ground force element during a daring nighttime raid against a heavily armed enemy force. While attempting to engage a barricaded fighter hidden inside the target building, one of his teammates was struck and mortally wounded…causing him to fall directly in front of the barricaded enemy’s position. With complete disregard for his own safety, PO 1st Class Bill fought his way into the compound, exchanging fire with the enemy fighter while maneuvering to his wounded teammate. Within point blank range of the barricaded enemy, PO 1st Class Bill pulled his comrade from the precarious position where he had fallen as enemy rounds impacted the rock wall around him. He then courageously exposed himself to enemy fire again, as he pulled his wounded teammate across the open courtyard to a position behind cover”

But his most important quality – to his mother – was Brian’s kindness. A fellow student in high school said that Brian was his friend when no one else would be and three people who knew Brian growing up wrote essays about him. One that most impressed his mother was written about an incident when Brian was 16 and the writer was 8. The essay was written for his college application about Brian’s compassion after a bitter loss during a swim relay event: “Our talk lasted no more than a minute or two, yet has stayed with me all these years. I wish I had told Brian how much that talk meant to me. ….Brian saved me. I like to think that maybe someday, like Brian, I might make a difference for someone else. I will remember him always.”