Brien McMahon's Lt. Col. Robert Killackey Prepares for Retirement

Coming to the end of a lengthy career, many people look back remembering how it all started and the decisions that they made which led to where they are now. With that reflection comes the moment of being proud of the choices you made along the way that felt like such a huge step to take at the time.

As someone with such an extensive career who is entering retirement, retired Lt. Col. Robert Killackey is looking back on many fond memories. From being an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps to the Senior Naval Science Instructor of the Naval Junior ROTC program at Brien McMahon High School, we asked him what were his greatest experiences and what are his plans for retirement? 

In his first career, Killackey decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps. He made the decision on his own, but he has a proud military tradition in his family. 

“It is a family tradition to serve in the military, and both of my adult sons independently chose to serve as well, so we have four continuous generations of service,” Killackey said.

Killackey became an infantry officer for the Marines, a position that focused on amphibious air-ground task force ground combat arms operations. He served in the position for 20 years, traveling to 28 countries while participating in many operations such as contingencies, humanitarian operations, and combat.

He recalls his experience in the Marine Corps as “a challenging and phenomenal experience in which I felt blessed to have had the opportunities I did.” When he retired from the Marines, Killackey found his next career opportunity doing something else he loved – teaching. 

“The way I found out about Navy JROTC was at the military retirement seminar. I looked on the Navy JROTC website and it said there was an opening in Connecticut. As an infantry officer I worked with 17 to 19-year-olds, so high schoolers were a piece of cake,” Killackey said.

The transition from active military service to teaching high schoolers may seem like a drastic change to most people, but Killackey took the challenge head on! It was a relatively smooth transition for Killackey, someone who already had years of being in the “people” business. 

At the time, he lived in New York. The drive may have been a lot of time on the road, but he didn’t mind. From the time he made the decision to get into teaching, Killackey was sure that this was something he wanted to do with no doubts.

“Funny thing I tell the kids is my mom was a teacher and my dad was in the Marine Corps. So, I tell kids, ‘Believe it or not, sometimes kids will follow in their parents' footsteps,’” Killackey said.

Killackey came into teaching high school with confidence, having very little worries. As the years went by, he grew into a well-defined educator for Brien McMahon High School. He has loved being there for his students and staff, even when times might have felt a bit stressful.

“Were there stressful days? Yes. But after twenty years of dealing with people, it did help. I felt very prepared, and I’ve been in combat, I’ve had people shoot at me,” Killackey said. 

As his journey as a teacher comes to an end, Killackey is more than grateful for his time and experience at Brien McMahon that has shown him nothing but kindness.

“The nice thing about being here so long is that I make sure I’m still available to students even after they graduate. There are pictures here and I can point to one of the people and say, ‘She just had a baby,’ or ‘He’s off to the Marine Corps,’” Killackey said.

Ryan Harold, District Safety and Security Supervisor for Norwalk Public Schools, has appreciated Killackey’s guidance and mentorship since his first day in the district.

“For me personally, Lt. Col. Killackey has been a mentor, advisor, collaborator, confidant and friend since my first day in Norwalk Public Schools. He has provided guidance, wisdom and shared his endless experiences with me.” Harold said. “Thank you for your dedication and service to our country, Brien McMahon High School and Norwalk Public Schools. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement.”

Before he retires from teaching, Killackey has advice for those who want to join the military and those who want to pursue a career in education. For joining the military, “Do it,” he said. “I tell students if you want to join the military, look at every service [branch] because three out of four might have the job you’re interested in. It’s good to look into all of them. But it’s good for experiencing people, especially from all over the world.”

And for some advice to the people who might like to be teachers: “Definitely do it. You’re going to learn a lot about yourself, and these kids are America’s future. You get a chance to motivate and inspire… but you need to put in the work. You have to be able to make connections. Once a kid knows you care about them, then you’re in.”

Story by NPS Communications Department intern Briana Andujar