Confidence Through Adversity as a Strike Cell Paralegal
In October 2024, Biliouris deployed to Iraq with the 38th Infantry Division in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Her mission was to advise, assist, and enable partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria while maintaining regional stability.
Early in her deployment, Biliouris said she felt out of place and in over her head. She was a newly promoted noncommissioned officer (NCO) and was one of the youngest and least experienced on her team. Despite feeling uncertain of herself, she quickly learned where and who to go to for help.
“I ended up getting contacts and making friends from every office and section, so if I had questions, I could call someone for answers,” said Biliouris.
As a strike cell paralegal, her job was to prepare and present the legal analysis for proposed strikes against ISIS, ensuring operations complied with the laws of armed conflict (LOAC) and rules of engagement (ROE).
“A lot of times, with ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) - the drones - we’ll see footage before and after a strike happens,” said Biliouris. “This allows us to ensure ROEs, PID (positive identification), and the laws of armed conflict are not being violated. We’re able to brief command on whether or not there are any objections to performing a strike from a legal standpoint.”
For someone who had joined the Rhode Island Army National Guard three years earlier as a military police Soldier, later reclassifying as a paralegal, it was a responsibility she couldn’t have imagined.
“I never thought I'd be overseas briefing O-6s and O-7s about whether or not to perform a strike,” said Biliouris. “I thought these briefings would involve people far more higher up in rank, but my lawyer would always be in the room when I provided my analysis and confirmed if I was correct or not.”
Over time, uncertainty gave way to confidence as her workload steadily increased.
“It was just constant,” said Biliouris. “If we had a strike, sometimes we wouldn’t get out until 2200 or midnight. We’d go back to our little CHU (Containerized Housing Unit), and then they would call or knock on our door at two o’clock in the morning, like, ‘Hey, we see someone [possible ISIS member]. It was stressful, but we were a close group, and everyone was embracing the suck together.”
As Biliouris found her footing, conflict in the Middel East escalated overnight when Israel launched an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and military infrastructures, beginning what is now referred to as the Twelve-Day war.
“We didn’t get much sleep because we had to be in constant rotation in case something happened,” said Biliouris. “We were constantly on our toes, moving back and forth to the bunkers and getting naps when we could.”
Sitting in a bunker, Biliouris and her team witnessed the volleys of missiles trading back and forth between Iran and Israel.
Nearby, a young private first class struggled to process what was happening.
“She was scared,” said Biliouris. “She was like, ‘I didn’t think this was going to happen. Are we going to live?’”
Biliouris knew there was no honest way to promise everything would be okay. Instead, she stayed calm, sat with the Soldier and helped her get through the moment. She knew she had to be strong for someone else.
“It was surreal to witness the missiles flying overhead,” said Biliouris. “I honestly didn’t know if we were going to be ok, but I let her know that we were in it together.”
Looking back, Biliouris said the young private first class reminded her of herself at the start of the deployment. Had the missiles begun flying then, she believes she would have reacted the same way.
Instead, she realized she had become the person others turned to.
“That was one of the moments I realized I had become a leader,” said Biliouris. “Even though she wasn't my Soldier, she knew she could lean on me, and she did."
Biliouris currently serves as the paralegal NCO for the Rhode Island Army National Guard. She remains close with many of the Soldiers she served with during her deployment to Iraq. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and line dancing with her friends.
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