LTC Joseph J. Reale, Sr. was commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer upon graduation from the Empire State Military Academy (ESMA) Officer Candidate School on 27 August 1971. His first duty assignment was as Recon & Survey Officer, Battery B, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG, Brooklyn, New York.

His subsequent duty assignments were Assistant S-3, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG; Commander, Battery B, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG; Commander, Battery A, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG; S-1, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG; Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 42d Division Artillery, NYARNG; Counter Fire Duty Officer, 42d Division Artillery, NYARNG; Motor Officer, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG; Assistant Chemical Officer, 42d Infantry Division, NYARNG; Assistant Fire Support Coordinator, 42d Division Artillery, NYARNG, Bronx, New York; Executive Officer, 1st Bn, 187th Field Artillery, NYARNG, Bronx, New York; S-3, 354th Transportation Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve (USAR), Fort Totten, New York; Command & General Staff School (C&GSC) Instructor, 1163rd U.S. Army Reserve Forces (USARF) School, USAR; Combined Arms and Service Staff School (CAS3) Leader and Instructor, 1163rd USARF, USAR; and CAS3 Leader and Instructor, 13th Battalion, 98th Training Regiment.

His military education and training includes: Officer Candidate School; the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course; the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course; Command and General Staff College; Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Warfare School; Nuclear and Chemical Target Analysis Course; Reserve Component Transportation Course; Combined Arms and Staff Leader's Course; the ESMA Instructors Course; Battalion Management Course; Field Artillery Brigade Refresher Course; and the Reserve Component Unit Officer's Course.

LTC Reale's military awards include: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (w/2 Bronze OLCs), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (w/ Silver and Bronze OLC), National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Hourglass Device, Army Service Ribbon, New York State Commendation Medal, New York Aid to Civil Authority Medal, and the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara.

Following his military career, LTC Reale focused on volunteer service as a way of giving back to the community, state, and nation. The preponderance of his focus has been to support and participate in those initiatives related to veterans, veterans' families, community service, and patriotism. After relocating to North Carolina, he sought out and immersed himself in a multitude of activities that are similar to the volunteer work he did in New York. One of the things that makes him stand out in the volunteer world is that he is equally comfortable and adept while chairing a particular function or "rolling his sleeves up" at the lowest level to get the job done.