Colonel Bradley “Barrel” Fessler is from Kearney, Missouri. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and was ordered to The Basic School in Quantico after receiving his commission with the class of 1999.
After completing The Basic School in January of 2000, Colonel Fessler reported to pilot training in Pensacola, Florida. Two years later, in January of 2002, he earned the designation of Naval Aviator. In August of that year, he completed CH-46E Sea Knight transition training and reported to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (HMM-165), the “White Knights”, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.
While with HMM-165, Colonel Fessler flew over eighty combat missions during three deployments in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. He flew missions in 2003 during the opening stages of combat operations, and again in 2005 and 2007 as a member of the reinforced Aviation Combat Element (ACE) of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). He also flew sorties in Indonesia and Sri Lanka in support of Operation UNIFIED ASSISTANCE in 2005. His company grade assignments included several roles in the Operations department, as well as two years as the squadron’s Aviation Safety Officer (ASO).
After six years with the White Knights, Colonel Fessler joined Marine Aircraft Group 46 (MAG-46) in August of 2008, where he served as the ASO and Director of Safety and Standardization. There he supported multiple exercises, notably the Partnership of the Americas in Peru, which included partner nations from Central and South America.
In September 2009, Colonel Fessler transitioned to the Selected Marine Corps Reserve via direct affiliation to the “Moonlighters” of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 764 (HMM-764) in Edwards Air Force Base. Upon joining the unit, he immediately mobilized to Active Duty and spent over a year supporting recurring MOJAVE VIPER exercises in Twentynine Palms, California.
Colonel Fessler completed transition training for the MV-22B in December 2012 and was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 764 (VMM-764) upon the squadron’s re-designation. There he contributed to the unit’s stand-up to Full Operational Capability (FOC), achieved in 2015. Also in that year, as the Aviation Maintenance Officer, he participated in UNITAS Amphibious Exercise, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an exercise which saw the Moonlighters complete the longest recorded self-deployment of an MV-22B. In 2017, he served as the squadron’s Executive Officer during its deployment to Moron, Spain in support of the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response – Africa (SPMAGTF-CR-AF) mission. From September 2019 to June 2021, Colonel Fessler served as the Commanding Officer of VMM-764.
After completing a year of study at the National War College in Washington DC, Colonel Fessler reported to Marine Forces, Pacific, where he served as the Marine Corps’ direct representative to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. In July of 2023, he reported to Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, TX, where he currently serves as the Deputy Commander and Senior Reserve Advisor for Marine Aircraft Group 41.
Colonel Fessler has accrued over 2,600 flight hours and his personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with star in lieu of second award, the Air Medal (with Strike Flight numeral 4), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He is a graduate of the Expeditionary Warfare School and Command and Staff non-resident programs. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Duke University, and a Master’s Degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University. He is also a certified Project Management Professional.
As a civilian, Colonel Fessler has performed multiple technical and leadership functions in corporate America. When not serving with the Marine Corps, he is a Senior Program Manager for L3Harris Technologies