Bissell Retires Following Illustrious Career
Col. Gary Bissell ’89, assistant superintendent in the Office of Operations and Planning (OPs) at Virginia Military Institute, has retired after a wide-ranging and illustrious career as both cadet and staff member, effective August 1.
The Bissell family has a multigenerational VMI legacy, beginning with Gary’s father, the late Brig. Gen. Norman “Mike” Bissell, who graduated from the Institute in 1961, enjoyed a career in the Army, then returned to VMI as the first non-active-duty commandant of cadets. Mike was instrumental in VMI’s coeducation transition. Gary, the oldest of seven children, graduated in 1988 and his brother Drew, VMI Class of 1995, graduated in 1994. Another brother, Brandon, graduated in 1998 and currently serves as the chief operating officer of the VMI Alumni Association. Gary’s son Joshua graduated in 2018.
Mike’s extensive military career took him all over the world and naturally his large, close-knit family accompanied him. Gary and his siblings spent their formative years living in foreign lands, meeting extraordinary people, and relocating to multiple schools. When asked if it was hard on them as children having to frequently make new friends, he replied, “We had each other.” Gary attended three different high schools before graduating from Seoul American High School located in Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South Korea, in 1982.
Knowing he wanted to serve in the military and fly, Gary applied to all the United States service academies and settled on the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, Connecticut, where he played the trumpet in the band and was on the football team as a kicker, punter, and defensive end. “It was a great experience. I would not change the experience, it’s just not what I needed at the time,” Gary confessed. So, after 1 ½ years, he left the USCGA to work full-time and take classes at a community college part time.
A short time later, Gary began to consider his father’s alma mater, VMI. Initially, his parents questioned his rationale that VMI would be a good fit for him when the USCGA was not, but in the end, they supported his decision. So, in August 1985 he matriculated as a rat, but because of all the college credits he had already acquired, he was academically categorized as a 3rd Class cadet.
Gary thrived at VMI, where he majored in economics, was a member of Band Company, held rank, played football, was a cheerleader in the Keydet spirit club, and sang in the Glee Club. He graduated in 1988 and immediately commissioned into the Army.
He completed the Aviation Officer Basic Course (AOBC), the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course (IERW), and Air Assault School (AAS) in 1989. During this time, Gary met Marti Eaton, who was going through AOBC, IERW, and AAS with him. They both went to Camp Page, Korea, for their first tour of duty and married mid-tour in 1990. At Camp Page, Gary served as an aeroscout platoon leader, flying OH-58 helicopters. In 1991, he completed the Aviation Officer Advanced Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School before being assigned to Fort Riley in Kansas, where he served as the assistant battalion flight operations officer.
He later transferred to the Kansas Army National Guard, where he served as the Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Platoon leader, General Support Aviation Platoon leader, and the Company Operations officer. While in Kansas, he completed a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Kansas State University.
In 1994, Gary and Marti moved to Germany where she had been transferred. It was at that time Gary switched his commission and served in the U.S. Army Reserves for the 166th Aviation Regiment while also teaching middle school for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Wurzburg.
Wanting to be closer to family when Marti transitioned from active duty to the Virginia National Guard in 1997, she and Gary relocated to Lexington, where Mike was working at VMI. Gary taught science for two years at Rockbridge Middle School and worked part time in VMI barracks as an assistant officer in charge. By the following year, he was working full time at VMI. Throughout this period, he and Marti worked in various positions supporting the Institute.
The first position he held was assistant commandant for operations and training. During that time, both he and Marti were involved in assisting with the integration of women, which he said was overdue. “It was a good decision for VMI, although a bit of a tough transition for some staff members and students. But it was really neat to be here and make those connections and help VMI through the process. Over the years, Marti and I have been able to keep in touch with a number of cadets from that time.”
Institute physician, Dr. Melissa S. Krawiec ’01, was one of the first female cadets to matriculate. She said Gary was a tactical officer at that time and always treated the cadets fairly and with respect. “Returning to VMI as an alum allowed me to appreciate Gary as a person and to see his amazing efforts in support of the Institute. It’s been wonderful to be colleagues with him here, and he and his family will always be in my heart as a vital link in the chain of my success at VMI.”
Later VMI positions Gary held include associate registrar, officer-in-charge of the Company Tactical Officer program, officer in charge in barracks, cadet veteran’s liaison, advisor to the Class of 2007, deputy chief of staff, then finally assistant superintendent for OPs from which he retired.
Gary shared one of the best things about working at VMI in all his positions was working with cadets. “I enjoyed developing future leaders and building relationships with the cadets. Helping them be as prepared as they can be when they graduate, whether they’re going into the military or the civilian sector, has been rewarding. VMI does a great job of teaching time management, right down to the minute. But another thing important for cadets is learning their limits and strengths, and understanding that anything they do is a team effort. That’s one thing about going through the Rat Line, you can’t do it by yourself. It’s a class effort. That’s important. When you get out in the real world, you never do anything by yourself.”
For many of the years he was employed at VMI, his career in the reserves continued. He served in the 5-159th Aviation Battalion and commanded a heavy-lift helicopter company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; was branch chief in the operations division in the District of Columbia Army National Guard; was mobilized for a tour in the Army Operations Center at the Pentagon; served as battalion commander of the 1-320th in Abingdon, Virginia; was assigned to the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army working with the Army Science Board; and was brigade commander of the Forces Command Augmentation Unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His last assignment was as reserve advisor for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He retired from the Army Reserves as a colonel in 2018.
Gary’s many military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster.
Gary holds a Master of Education degree from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Though he is not a VMI alumnus, Gary’s brother, Lt. Col. Collin Bissell, has served as assistant in OPs alongside Gary for the past two years, and stated he has learned a tremendous amount from his older brother. “It was great to see Gary, not as a brother, but in a professional manner and as a boss. I saw his passion for VMI and a drive to do anything to help cadets gain all they could from the Institute. He feels strongly that every action taken, whether from operations and planning or from anywhere else on post, should be with the cadets as our first priority. VMI is special and unique. I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact it has had on three generations of my family.”
Marti retired as an Army major general. She and Gary have two adult children. Joshua is currently an Army captain and Briana is an insurance consultant.
Gary said he plans to spend his retirement “traveling, visiting family and friends, and doing fun things I have put off over the years like learning to play guitar.”
