Army Staff Sergeant Eric Pulia

As a member of the National Guard working on a Counterdrug task force, Eric Pulia uses his computer skills to help law enforcement agencies track firearms purchased by non-felons on behalf of drug traffickers.

Eric Pulia is the youngest of three sons born in Hinsdale, Illinois, to James and Karen (Murrin) Pulia. He grew up in Westchester with his uncle and family nearby and his paternal grandparents living down the block. Pulia’s great-grandparents emigrated from the Sicily and Naples regions of Italy.

Pulia formed a close bond with his grandparents while staying with them after school. He remembers the newspaper version of Fra Noi sitting on their table. Dinner, which always included pasta, was served promptly at 5 p.m. “It was kind of like a revolving door over there,” he says. “People coming in, going out, having dinner.”

His grandfather, the retired chief of police of Westchester and a World War II Army veteran, fought in the Philippines and shared stories with Pulia when he was young. “Whatever my grandfather was, that’s what I wanted to be,” Pulia says. “Being a good Catholic, being a man of faith, hardworking, a family man, a patriotic man, things like that.”

Pulia graduated from local Westchester schools and entered Southern Illinois University in 2006. He studied one semester in Rome at John Cabot University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2010. During his college years, Pulia served an internship for a local state senator and was a legislative intern in a lobbyist firm in Springfield, Illinois. After graduating, he worked on a state senator’s campaign for DuPage County Board chairman. “At one point in time, I had aspirations to be a federal agent or federal employee,” Pulia says.

The Pulia family history greatly influenced Pulia’s career path. His great-grandfather fought for Italy in World War I and his grandfather fought in World War II. Pulia’s father is a retired police sergeant in Broadview and his uncle is a retired police chief and former mayor of Westchester. Pulia’s brother and two cousins are officers with the Chicago Police Department.

“The Pulia family has been serving the public in a variety of ways for more than 100 years and that is something I am infinitely proud of,” he says. “I knew that my life would revolve around public service in some form or fashion and I try to remember that each day.”

Pursuing his military dream, Pulia spoke with a Marine recruiter while in high school and considered the college ROTC program, but the timing wasn’t right. He was taking graduate classes in 2012 when he was hired as a Chicago police officer. Several years later, his partner on the force, a former Air Force Reservist, invited Pulia to the Army National Guard Recruiter Office. “The minute I walked into the recruiter’s office I knew I needed to join and do whatever it took to succeed,” says Pulia. “I had this feeling that just came over me.”

Pulia joined the Army National Guard in August 2017 at 29 years old, completed his master’s degree in public administration and attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, Mississippi. “It was a culture shock. I’m going from arresting criminals one week and the next week I’m getting yelled at by somebody that’s younger than me, face down in the mud and I had to just swallow my pride,” Pulia says.

He remained at Fort Jackson for Advanced Individual Training in Human Resources, his chosen field. Pulia then returned as a full-time police officer while fulfilling National Guard duties.

Pulia was stationed in North Riverside at the 1970th Quartermaster Company, which dealt with water purification in a combat zone. “I did the administrative work for those soldiers assigned to that unit,” he says. As an HR specialist, Pulia met with soldiers for their annual personal-information review, checking if any changes had occurred during the year.

Drill weekends and the two-week annual training encompassed varied tasks. Besides performing HR duties, Pulia set up tent cities and inventoried equipment. “The Army really makes you a jack-of-all-trades at times,” he says.

During a yearly retention briefing, Pulia learned of an opportunity with the Counter Narcotics Task Force, an assignment usually open only to those in military intelligence. Pulia’s job experience as a Chicago police officer and his master’s degree qualified him. He interviewed in 2020, was offered a full-time position with the National Guard to work on a Law Enforcement Counter Narcotics Task Force (Counterdrug) and has been on active military orders since then.

Pulia initially worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms supporting government agencies around the country in narcotics investigations. “Basically using military assets to help civilian law-enforcement organizations,” he says.

A high percentage of firearms crimes involve a narcotics incident and the recovered weapons have often been purchased by a non-felon buying the firearm for a felon. “So I did a lot of straw-purchaser investigations,” Pulia says.

He performed background checks on suspected targets using databases and social media, collected the information, and compiled a report. “So you’re kind of making a profile and then giving it to ATF agents who are going out and arresting that person,” Pulia says. “It’s very administrative, computer-based. It’s not going out in the field and helping with raids or anything like that.”

Six months ago, Pulia was reassigned to the Illinois State Police Task Force performing the same job duties. In 2023 he did a branch transfer to the Air National Guard. “I was kind of just looking for a change of pace,” he explains.

In addition to his full-time National Guard position, Pulia reports for weekend training as a Religious Affairs Specialist, formerly called Chaplain Assistant. “Your main duty is to protect the chaplain,” he says. Pulia also prepares for religious services and looks into requests for religious exemptions. “Basically, the Chaplain Assistants are preparing paperwork and doing administrative work for chaplains,” Pulia says.

Pulia married Briana Steffenhagen in 2019 and they have three young children. Staff Sgt. Pulia is the post commander of the Elmhurst American Legion, where most of the active members are Vietnam veterans. He is passionate about getting younger veterans involved in military organizations. “I think most of them miss the camaraderie and brotherhood that they had being with other people and having shared missions,” Pulia says. “I think Legions and VFWs can help with that and give them a sense of purpose again.”

Reflecting on his military career, Pulia says, “I love it. I think I took a random path, an atypical path that most people didn’t do,” noting that he spoke with recruiters on previous occasions without committing before finally taking the plunge. “I really have to believe that this was God’s plan,” he muses. “Only when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it because I was almost 30 years old did I really get motivated to do it.”

The article above appears in the June 2025 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.