Colonel Robert J. Dillard was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School, 22 May 1945. His first duty assignment was as Infantry Unit Commander (1542), Headquarters, 69th Battalion, Infantry Replacement Training Center, Camp Howze, Texas. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Platoon Leader, 629th Port Company, Manila, Philippines; Competitive Tour Officer, New Orleans, Port of Embarkation, New Orleans, Louisiana; Commander, Company B, 35th Infantry Regiment, Japan and Korea; Assistant G-3, 25th Infantry Division, Korea; Instructor, Transportation Training Center, Fort Eustis, Virginia; Staff Officer, Southern Area Command, Munich, Germany; Commander, 57th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter), Fort Lewis, Washington and Vietnam; Executive Officer, Transportation Combat Development Agency, Fort Eustis, Virginia; Commander, 765th Transportation Battalion, Voung Tau, Vietnam; Project Manager, (CH 47), U. S. Army Materiel Command, Washington, D.C.; Project Manager (Turbin Engines), U.S. Army Materiel Command, Washington, D.C.; Project Manager (Advanced Aerial Weapons), U.S. Army Materiel Command, Washington, D.C.; Commander, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas.