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First Name: Walter

Last Name: Sharp

Birthplace: Morgantown, WV, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Middle Name: L.



Date of Birth: 27 September 1952



Rank: General

Years Served: 1974 - 2011
Walter L. Sharp
'Skip'

   
Graduate, U.S. Military Academy, Class of 1974

Engagements:
•  Gulf War (1990 - 1991)

Biography:

Walter L. "Skip" Sharp

General, U.S. Army

Walter L. Sharp was born on 27 September 1952 in Morgantown, WV, while his father was fighting in the Korean War. As a child he moved among many cavalry posts until he went to the U.S. Military Academy in 1970. Sharp graduated from West Point in 1974 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Armor. He has earned a Master of Science degree in Operations Research and System Analysis from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a graduate of the Armor Basic Course; the Field Artillery Advanced Course; the Command and General Staff College; and the Army War College.

Sharp's command positions include Armor Company Commander with 1st Battalion, 67th Armor, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, TX; Squadron Commander 1st Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood; Regimental Commander 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, LA; Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea; and Division Commander, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA. He commanded troops in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and SFOR's Multinational Division (North) in Bosnia.

He has served in the Directorate of Combat Developments at Fort Knox, KY; the Armor/Anti-Armor Special Task Force; and the Armored System Modernization Office at the Pentagon. He has had four assignments at the Pentagon on the Joint Staff. He was the Deputy Director, J-5 for Western Hemisphere/Global Transnational Issues; the Vice Director, J-8 for Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment; the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5; and the Director of the Joint Staff from 2005 to June 2008.

His final Army assignment was as Commander, United Nations Command, Commander, ROK-US Combined Forces Command and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea from 3 June 2008 to 14 July 2011.

General Walter L. Sharp retired from active Army service in July 2011.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Award Numeral 4
Inter-American Defense Board Medal
United Nations Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Presidential Unit Citation
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Parachutist Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge

Other Medals and Awards

United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) Medal
Order of National Security Merit, Tong-il Security Medel (Republic of Korea)
Order of National Security Merit, Cheon-su Medal (Republic of Korea)

Family

General Sharp is married to the former Joanne R. Caporaso of Brooklyn, NY, and they have three children.



Honoree ID: 326   Created by: MHOH

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