The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth version existing for acts of joint military service performed under the Department of Defense.
MG Alfred A. Valenzuela is a retired United States Army major general who commanded United States Army South (USARSO) at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico and San Antonio, Texas. Served as Deputy Commanding General DCINC ) US Southern Command, Panama/Miami.
Awards and decorations of the state defense forces are presented to members of the state defense forces in addition to regular United States military decorations and state National Guard military decorations. Each of the state governments of the United States maintains a series of decorations for issuance to members of the state defense forces, with such awards presented under the authority of the various state adjutants general and/or respective state defense force commanders.
John Rives Dallager is a retired United States Air Force major general. He served as the fifteenth Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy from 2000 to 2003. He resigned the position in the wake of the sexual assault scandal at the academy and was demoted from the rank of lieutenant general to major general upon his retirement.
Rick Baccus is a retired Army National Guard Brigadier General. Baccus received a regular Army commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program and immediately entered active duty. He is most noted for commanding the Guantanamo Bay detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002.
Lieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell was the commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command from December 2006 to December 2010, replacing Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen. In October 2011 Campbell began working for Northrop Grumman Corporation as vice president and corporate lead executive (CLE) for company business after retiring from the Army.
Larry Rudell Ellis is a former United States Army officer who served as the Commander of United States Army Forces Command from November 19, 2001 until 2004, following his assignment as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans of the Department of the Army.
Joseph J. Taluto is a retired United States Army officer who served as the Adjutant General of New York. As adjutant general, he was the director of the New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs, and served as overall commander of the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and New York Naval Militia. Taluto commanded the 42nd Infantry Division in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2006. He attained the rank of major general, and was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal.
Awards and decorations of the Illinois National Guard are provided to honor the service and dedication of the men and women who serve in the Illinois Army National Guard and the Illinois Air National Guard.
Brigadier General José M. Portela (Ret.),, is a retired officer of the United States Air Force who recently retired from the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air, which he held while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1972, Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter aircraft commander and captain at age 22. Portela is also the only reservist ever to serve as director of mobility forces for Bosnia. He is also the first native of Puerto Rico to hold the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.
Major General Donald P. Dunbar is Wisconsin's former Adjutant General. He commanded the Wisconsin National Guard and is in the United States Air National Guard. Dunbar was responsible for Emergency Management in the state. He also served as Wisconsin's Homeland Security Advisor, chairs the Homeland Security Council, and served as the senior state official for cyber matters. Dunbar also served on the executive committees of the Governor's Homeland Security Advisors Council (GHSAC) and the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS), and is a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Advisory Council. With the retirement of Major General Thaddeus J. Martin of the Connecticut National Guard on June 30, 2018, General Dunbar became the longest serving Adjutant General in the United States. At the request of Governor Tony Evers, Dunbar resigned his post in the Wisconsin National Guard on December 9, 2019, for intentionally ignoring orders requiring outside investigations into claims of sexual assault and harassment as required by state and federal law and U.S. Department of Defense regulations.
Andrew M. Schuster is a retired brigadier general in the National Guard of the United States and former Assistant Adjutant General of Readiness and Training in Wisconsin.
Charles Edward Tucker Jr. is a retired major general in the United States Air Force. He currently serves as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of two International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs): the World Engagement Institute, Chicago, IL, USA; and the Sustainable Capacity International Institute, Arezzo, Italy. In these capacities, he develops and promotes the fundamental rights of peoples around the world through education, research, documentation, capacity building and advocacy. He also engages in post-conflict justice capacity building programs and large-scale human rights documentation projects throughout the world. Tucker has also served, since October, 2019, as Interim General Manager of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Philip G. Killey is a retired United States Air Force officer. He attained the rank of major general, and served as Adjutant General of the South Dakota National Guard, Director of the Air National Guard and Commander of First Air Force.
Major General Johnny R. Miller was an Assistant Adjutant General of the Illinois Army National Guard. He served from 2011 to 2015.
William C. Bilo is a retired United States Army Brigadier General who served as Deputy Director of the Army National Guard.
Linda L. Singh is a retired major general of the Maryland Army National Guard.
Major General Philip William Nuber of United States Air Force, was director of the Defense Mapping Agency from December 1994 to May 1996.
John F. King is a retired American military officer and the state of Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. He was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp as commissioner on July 1, 2019, replacing Jim Beck. Beck was elected in 2018, but suspended by Governor Kemp on May 16, 2019, pending an investigation into allegations of illegal activity committed prior to his taking office. After Beck's conviction of 37 criminal counts of fraud and money laundering on July 22, 2021, Beck was fully and immediately removed from office as per Georgia law, and King became the permanent insurance commissioner. King was re-elected to this position in 2022. King's appointment makes him the first Hispanic statewide official in Georgia's history. A native of Mexico, King is fluent in Spanish.
Maryland 
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