Colonel Joe S. Adams

Soldier. Spy. Patriot. Founder.

Some men read about history. Colonel Joe S. Adams made it — in the jungles of Southeast Asia, the mountains of Nicaragua, the townships of South Africa, the hills of Burma, and the battlefields of Croatia. For more than five decades, he has fought totalitarian regimes, toppled dictatorships, and defended human freedom on nearly every continent on earth.

Today, he brings that same mission home — to Washington, Missouri.


From the Battlefield to Your Backyard

The Story Behind the Washington Guard

Colonel Adams never set out to become a legend. He set out to serve. What followed was one of the most extraordinary careers in modern American military and intelligence history — a life lived almost entirely in the shadows, fighting battles most Americans will never know about, on behalf of a country he has never stopped believing in.

After decades of global service, Colonel Adams looked at the America he'd spent his life protecting and saw something that troubled him deeply. On January 30, 2021, he did what he has always done when freedom is threatened: he took action.

He founded the Washington Guard.


A Career Unlike Any Other

Five Decades of Service, Sacrifice, and Shadow Operations

Military Service & Intelligence

Colonel Adams began his career as a United States Marine, where he received extensive training before being assigned to naval intelligence with top secret clearance. He later volunteered for flight crew duty in Southeast Asia, flying combat missions across Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

What followed was three decades of contract operative work with some of the most consequential agencies and allied forces in the world, including:

  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
  • The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  • The French Foreign Legion
  • Australian SAS
  • Delta Force and U.S. Army Special Forces
  • NATO
  • Canadian Police Tactical Units

He deployed across the globe fighting and dismantling totalitarian governments, dictatorships, and communist regimes — participating in numerous black operations, many of which remain classified to this day.

Nicaragua & the Iran-Contra Investigation

In the early 1980s, Colonel Adams was embedded with the CIA and the Contra rebels fighting the communist government in Nicaragua. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Head of Security and personal bodyguard for Dr. Adolfo Callero — the leader of the Contra rebels and President Ronald Reagan's chosen candidate for the first democratic president of Nicaragua. His role leading a series of combat operations inside Nicaragua made him a named figure in the Iran-Contra investigation.

South Africa, 1986

Working as an anti-terrorist operative with the South African Defense Forces in Johannesburg, Colonel Adams was deployed in direct response to the wave of murders and kidnappings that were terrorizing the civilian population during one of the country's most volatile periods.

Burma & the Student Revolution

In the late 1980s, Colonel Adams received a commission as Colonel with the Burma Liberation Expeditionary Forces. Working again with the CIA, he organized, trained, and led commandos for the Democratic Alliance Burma Army — an all-student revolutionary group fighting the military junta dictatorship that had shuttered universities and imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.

Croatia & the War in the Balkans

In 1991, Colonel Adams served his final overseas military deployment as Training Commander, Colonel, First Special Forces Group, 2nd Brigade, Croatian Rangers. He organized, trained, and led his Rangers behind enemy lines during the War in the Balkans as Croatia fought for its independence from communist rule. His Rangers were credited with having changed the face of the war.


Bringing It Home

Three Decades as an International Private Investigator

After his overseas deployments concluded, Colonel Adams spent nearly thirty years as an international private investigator — continuing to serve justice in a different arena. His work included:

  • Capturing numerous fugitives, including a FBI Top 10 Most Wanted subject
  • Recovering missing and exploited children
  • Orchestrating the release of Americans detained or wrongfully imprisoned in foreign countries

Project Bluelight

Fighting the War on Our Southern Border

In 2008, Colonel Adams responded to the deepening crisis on America's southern border by founding Project Bluelight — an anti-terrorist intelligence operation built to support United States Border Patrol agents working in the field.

Under his command, the Project Bluelight Scouts have been directly responsible for:

  • Coordinating the apprehension of over 10,000 individuals entering the country illegally from 126 foreign countries, including fifteen designated terrorist states
  • Seizure of tons of narcotics, countless weapons, and explosive devices
  • Rescuing over 1,000 women and children from drug cartels destined for the human and sex trafficking trade

For this work, Colonel Adams has been nominated for the Civilian Medal of Honor and received the Heroes of Freedom and Liberty Award.


The Washington Guard

His Final — and Most Personal — Mission

Having spent his career fighting tyranny abroad, Colonel Adams never imagined he would need to fight for freedom at home. But on January 30, 2021, no longer willing to stand by, he founded the Washington Guard — a civilian militia based in Washington, Missouri.

The mission: to preserve life, liberty, and property by supporting first responders and law enforcement during natural disasters and civil unrest.

It is, in many ways, the most important mission of his life. Because this time, he's fighting for his own neighbors.


Book Colonel Adams

A Speaker Who Has Lived What He Talks About

Colonel Adams has spent a lifetime in service to this country. Now he's on a mission to ensure the freedoms he defended are never taken for granted.

His story is unlike anything your audience has heard from a stage. It is not a story of politics or theory — it is a firsthand account of what it costs to protect freedom, and what happens when free nations fail to defend themselves.

Colonel Adams is available for:

  • Keynote speaking at patriot, veteran, and civic events
  • Military and law enforcement conferences
  • Faith-based and community leadership gatherings
  • Private events and organizational briefings

Colonel Adams has spoken at Washington Guard events alongside Medal of Honor recipients, FOX News contributors, and nationally recognized voices in military and civic service.

Book Colonel Adams for your next event.

Email us at Patriots@TheWashingtonGuard.com to start the conversation.