Lieutenant Colonel William C. Downer, USA, of Gig 
Harbor, WA, died July 19,

2011. He was born in New York City, NY on May 25, 1969 and began his

military service when he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the

Infantry in August 1991 from The Citadel. Lieutenant Colonel 
Downer’s

military education consists of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, 
the

Ordnance Branch Qualification Course, Naval School Explosive 
Ordnance

Disposal (EOD), Combined Logistics Officer Advance Course, Army 
Combined

Arms Service Staff School and the Army Command and General Staff 
College.

Lieutenant Colonel Downer’s previous assignments include Rifle 
Platoon

Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Support Platoon Leader, 1-503d 
IN,

2nd Infantry Division; Operations Officer and later Commander, 54th 
Ordnance

Detachment (EOD) and 754th Ordnance Company (EOD); Senior Observe

Controller-Trainer, 2-360th IN; Secretary Joint Staff, United States 
Support

Group AD Haiti, Operation Uphold Democracy; PACOM and CENTCOM Plans 
and

Operations Officer, Special Operations Support Command (ABN); 
Logistics

Officer, CJSOTF-Philippines, 1st Special Forces Group (ABN), 
Operation

Enduring Freedom; Logistics Officer/Deputy J4, CJSOTF-West, 5th 
Special

Forces Group (ABN), Operation Iraqi Freedom; Corps Ammunition Officer, 
1st

Corps Support Command (ABN); Senior Liaison Officer to Multi National 
Corps

AD Iraq (MNC-I), 1st Corps Support Command (ABN), Operation Iraqi 
Freedom;

Support Operations Officer, 264th Corps Support Battalion (ABN); 
Executive

Officer, 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), and Joint Task Force Troy 
AD

Baghdad, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Commander, TF Renegades supporting 
the

British EOD Joint Task Group (Operation Charge of the Knights), 
Basrah,

Iraq; and Commander, Task Force Troy AD South (3 EOD BN), USD-S, 1st 
Infantry

Division, Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. 
Lieutenant

Colonel Downer’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star medal 
(two

Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (three Oak Leaf 
Clusters),

Joint Service Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Army 
Commendation

Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (two Oak 
Leaf

Clusters), Iraqi Campaign Medal (five Campaign Stars), Global War on

Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Service Medal, Armed Forces 
Expeditionary

Medal, NATO Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit 
Award

(with Oak Leaf Cluster), Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, 
Superior

Unit Award, Expert Infantry Badge, Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal 
Badge,

Ranger Tab, Basic Parachutist Badge, and the Parachutist Badge from 
the

countries of Thailand, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. 
Lieutenant

Colonel Downer is survived by his wife Suzanne Downer, and his 
parents

William and Marguerite Downer. Tags: 1991

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