Alex Gilfiley
Alex Gilfiley, also known as Julius Alex Gilfiley, is a Yap State government official in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). He has served as Director of the Yap State Department of Youth and Civic Affairs (DYCA) and has been involved in youth programming, cultural initiatives, and intergovernmental coordination. Gilfiley has also appeared in a number of minor acting roles in independent film and television productions.
In addition to his documented civilian career, Gilfiley has publicly described a background that includes U.S. military service and combat experience.
Early life and education
According to Gilfiley and to an introduction delivered by host John Duffy during Episode 67 of the Live Courageously podcast (recorded in 2024), Gilfiley grew up on the island of Yap with limited economic resources. He has described growing up without running water, collecting water from a well, and selling fruit, nuts, and coconuts as a child to pay for school transportation, while emphasizing that his family had food security and strong community support.
Gilfiley states that he attended Honolulu Community College, later studied at colleges in Hawaii and California, and attended UCLA, though he says he did not complete a degree there. He has also stated that he completed a degree through the University of Phoenix, attended a Bible college for approximately two years where he says he earned a theology degree, and later completed real-estate training programs. In interviews, he has indicated that he pursued graduate-level coursework and has expressed an intention to complete doctoral studies in psychology in the future.
Yap State Government
Gilfiley was appointed Director of the Yap State Department of Youth and Civic Affairs by Governor Charles Sigfred Chieng, placing him in a cabinet-level role within the Yap State government. In this position, he has participated in cabinet meetings, overseen youth and civic programs, and represented Yap State in engagements with local, national, and U.S. agencies.
In public interviews, Gilfiley has stated that he returned to Yap in part to care for his mother during illness and later accepted appointment to government service. He has characterized his role as focused on public service, youth development, and cultural engagement rather than electoral politics.
Acting and media work
Under the name Julias Alex Gilfiley, he is credited on IMDb with a number of minor or uncredited roles in film and television, primarily during the early 2010s. These include appearances in Hawaii Five-0, Off the Map, Paradise Broken, Hang Loose, Final: The Rapture, The Flag, The Cleaner and the Deadman, and background work on Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Gilfiley has described early exposure to multimedia production while attending Yap High School, stating that he participated in a multimedia course and made his first short film as a student. He has also recounted acting in large-scale church productions and later performing background and featured roles in Hawaii and California. In interviews, he has stated that he worked on Off the Map, a series produced by Steven Spielberg, and has described interactions with actor Dwayne Johnson during separate productions.
Gilfiley has repeatedly described himself in interviews and speeches as the first actor from Micronesia to work in Hollywood, a claim that has not been independently verified.
Military service
Gilfiley states that he joined the United States Army after completing the ASVAB and has described serving for approximately seven years. In interviews, he has stated that he was deployed to Iraq during the early years of the war.
On his LinkedIn profile, Gilfiley lists approximately seven years of U.S. Army service, including service as a Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Specialist (April 2002–October 2004) and later as a Weapons of Mass Destruction Advisor to Military Intelligence and Special Operations units (October 2004–June 2009), including assignments associated with the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade and 205th Military Intelligence Battalion.
A central element of his public narrative concerns a November 2, 2003 helicopter incident in Iraq, which he has described in interviews. Gilfiley states that a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, that he exited his aircraft under fire, entered the crash site, and assisted in recovery efforts before collapsing from exhaustion and being medically evacuated.
Independent reporting confirms that a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down on November 2, 2003, resulting in approximately 15–16 fatalities, and that recovery operations occurred under hostile conditions. However, no publicly available news reports, unit histories, Department of Defense releases, or award citations have been identified that name Gilfiley as a participant in the rescue or recovery operations, or that document his specific role as described.
Awards and recognition
In the opening introduction to Episode 67 of Live Courageously, host John Duffy attributes to Gilfiley several honors, including a “U.S. Congressional award,” a “senatorial award,” and a “U.S. Presidential citation award,” describing them as recognition for valor related to the 2003 helicopter incident. These statements appear in the host’s narration and are not accompanied by formal award titles or documentation.
Gilfiley himself does not name specific federal military decorations during the interview. The term presidential citation is not a standardized individual military award and can refer to a range of unit citations or ceremonial recognitions. Without precise award names or issuing documentation, such claims cannot be independently verified.
The only publicly documented recognition identified to date is a 2017 Certificate of Recognition presented at a Pacific Islander Caucus reception in Hawaii by a state senator, which acknowledges service and community contribution in general terms and does not reference combat actions or federal military decorations.
Public speaking and interviews
Gilfiley has appeared as a guest on podcasts and has spoken publicly at high schools, community colleges, churches, and civic events in Hawaii, California, and Yap. In these appearances, he has described delivering talks at institutions including Long Beach City College, Compton College, and high schools in Hawaii, often emphasizing themes of ambition, resilience, and education.
FSM and Yap State government coverage also reports that he has delivered keynote-style remarks at Yap High School and youth-focused events, where he has emphasized messages such as “It’s okay to think big in small places.”
Task Force on U.S. Military & Government Operations (2025)
In April 2025, Gilfiley was appointed by Executive Order of Acting Governor Francis Itimai to the Task Force on United States Military and Government Operations and the Operational Control Letter (OCL). Serving as Director of the Department of Youth and Civic Affairs, he was designated Communication Liaison and Protocol Officer and named to the State’s negotiation team, authorized to represent Yap State in engagements with the U.S. Government and the FSM National Government.
The Task Force functions as Yap State’s official focal point for coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Task Force–Micronesia, Joint Region Marianas, and other U.S. federal agencies operating in Yap.
