Walter Wojdakowski

Last updated
Walter Wojdakowski
Walter Wojdakowski.jpg
Born(1950-03-29)March 29, 1950
Elgin, Illinois [1]
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1972–2008
Rank Major General
Battles/wars Operation Desert Storm
Awards Silver Star
Legion of Merit (3)
Bronze Star

Walter Wojdakowski (born March 29, 1950) [1] is a retired United States Army Major General. He held a number of high positions within the military, including his last post as Commanding General of Fort Benning.

Contents

Military career

Education

Wojdakowski graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1972. He has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the Army War College.

Service

Wojdakowski served in company grade officer positions as a Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Ranger Instructor and Commander at Fort Lewis and at the Army Mountain Ranger Camp. He also was an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As a field grade officer, he served as a Brigade S-3, Battalion Executive Officer and Chief, Tactical Operations III Corps G-3 at Fort Hood, Texas. He commanded the 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, Tiger Brigade, 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood and in Desert Storm/Desert Shield from 1989 to 1991. He was then assigned as the Senior Infantry Task Force Combat Trainer at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. He attended the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania and commanded the 11th Infantry Regiment at Ft Benning, Georgia from July 1993 to July 1995. Wojdakowski's next assignment was as the Director of Training, 7th Army Training Command, USAREUR and he became the Commander, Operations Group, Combat Maneuver Training Center at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany on 1 May 1996. Wojdakowski assumed the duties of Assistant Commandant of the Infantry School and Deputy Commanding General, Fort Benning, on 21 January 1997. In September 1998 he became Chief, Office of Military Cooperation, Kuwait at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He assumed duties as the ADC, 24th Infantry Division (Mech) (Fwd) and Deputy Commanding General (DCG), 1st U.S. Army on 17 August 2000. In September 2002 he assumed the position of DCG V Corps. He was later named DCG of the former Combined Joint Task Force 7, later succeeded by Multi-National Force-Iraq and Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Wojdakowski here served as top deputy to Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the force commander. After this post, he was eventually named Commanding General of Ft. Benning.

Awards and decorations

Combat Infantry Badge.svg Combat Infantryman Badge
Expert Infantry Badge.svg Expert Infantryman Badge
US Army Airborne master parachutist badge.gif Master Parachutist Badge
Ranger Tab.svg Ranger Tab
Silver Star ribbon.svg Silver Star
US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon.svg Defense Superior Service Medal
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Legion of Merit ribbon.svg
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star ribbon.svg Bronze Star
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg
Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation ribbon.svg Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Army Achievement Medal ribbon.svg
Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster

Abu Ghraib

Along with other military and government personnel, Wojdakowski was investigated in the Abu Graib scandal.

Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, a general who was later disciplined for her role in the scandal, placed Maj. Gen. Wojdakowski at a meeting in late November at which there was extensive discussion of a Red Cross report that cited specific cases of abuse. [2]

In November 2006, the German government received a complaint seeking the prosecution of Wojdakowski for alleged war crimes. The complaint alleged that during his tenure he was legally responsible for the U.S. torture programs. [3] After an investigation, he was cleared of all charges.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas F. Metz</span> Lieutenant General in the United States Army

Thomas Fredric Metz is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. Metz retired from the Army in Jan 2010 after more than 40 years of active military service. His tour of duty prior to retirement was as the director, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization., leading the DOD organization tasked with finding and fielding ways to defeat the IED threat. Previously he was the deputy commanding general and chief of staff, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Previous to that assignment he was commanding general of the U.S. III Corps and Fort Hood. He assumed command of III Corps on 7 February 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael A. Ryan</span> United States general

Brigadier General Michael A. Ryan was a General Officer in the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John M. Brown III</span> US Army general

John M. Brown III is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army. He served as Commander of United States Army Pacific, headquartered at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, from August 25, 2004 to February 1, 2008. He enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 1969 and became an officer upon completion of Infantry Officer Candidate School in 1971 where he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Steven Whitcomb</span> United States Army general

R. Steven Whitcomb is a retired United States Army lieutenant general. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from the University of Virginia in 1970. In his final assignment he served as Inspector General of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana J.H. Pittard</span> United States Army general (born 1959)

Dana James Hillian Pittard is a retired United States Army general officer. He served as Joint Force Land Component Commander-Iraq (JFLCC-I) from June 9, 2014, during the coalition response to the incursions by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Daesh) into Iraq from Syria. Pittard was deputy commanding general of operations (DCG-O) for ARCENT, the United States Central Command/Third Army, based in Kuwait, until 2015. He was also the commanding general of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. He was also Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations & Training at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia and commanding general of the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Twitty</span> Senior American army officer

Stephen M. Twitty is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. Twitty assumed command of First United States Army on July 15, 2016, relinquishing command to become deputy commander of United States European Command on 9 August 2018. Previously, he was commanding general of Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division. Twitty was awarded the Silver Star during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Noted for his relationship with journalist David Bloom, who was embedded with his battalion during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Twitty has served in five combat deployments, including tours in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait. He has commanded at the company, battalion, and brigade level during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twitty is a graduate of South Carolina State University and a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He was inducted into the South Carolina State University ROTC Hall of Fame in 2009, and selected as one of the university's Distinguished Alumni in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald M. Campbell Jr.</span> United States Army General

Lieutenant General Donald M. Campbell Jr. is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the commanding general of United States Army Europe. He commanded the United States Army Europe from December 1, 2012, to November 6, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert W. Cone</span> US Army general

Robert William Cone was a United States Army four-star general who last served as the commanding general of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). He assumed command of TRADOC on April 29, 2011. He previously served as the commander of Fort Hood and III Corps on September 22, 2009, with which he deployed to Iraq in February 2010, and served as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, United States Forces – Iraq, until February 2011. Prior to that, he served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General of TRADOC. He retired in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James L. Terry</span> US Army general

James L. Terry is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army. Terry has commanded at multiple levels across the Army. Terry's last assignment was as the commanding general of United States Army Central, retiring 17 November 2015. Terry served as the last commander of V Corps before its inactivation in 2013. While commanding V Corps, he concurrently served as Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command (IJC), and as deputy commander of United States Forces Afghanistan. He was the Commanding General of the 10th Mountain Division from 2009 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Longo</span>

Richard C. Longo is a retired major general of the United States Army. At the time of his retirement on 22 July 2014, he was deputy commanding general and chief of staff for U.S. Army Europe. He previously served as the deputy commanding general for Initial Military Training for the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William G. Webster</span>

Lieutenant General William Glenn Webster is a retired senior officer in the United States Army and a former commander of the Third United States Army/United States Army Central. Webster assumed command of the Third Army/Army Central on May 9, 2009 from Lieutenant General James J. Lovelace and during his tenure was responsible for moving the Third Army's headquarters from Fort McPherson, where it had resided for 62 years, to Shaw Air Force Base in 2011. Webster was succeeded as commanding officer of the Third Army upon his retirement by Lieutenant General Vincent K. Brooks on June 3, 2011. While commanding Third Army, Webster oversaw the transition towards full-spectrum operations in the Third Army from a more narrow focus on combat operations as well as the Third Army's role in sustaining United States military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Campbell (general)</span> United States Army general

John Francis Campbell is a retired United States Army general who was commander of the Resolute Support Mission and United States Forces – Afghanistan. He was the 16th and last commander of the International Security Assistance Force. Prior to this, he served as the 34th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He is currently a member of the board of directors of IAP, and BAE Systems, and serves on the advisory board of Code of Support Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D. Johnson (general)</span> American lieutenant general

John D. Johnson is a retired American lieutenant general of the United States Army. He was director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization from July 2013 to July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wilson (U.S. Army general)</span> American military officer

David Wilson is a United States Army major general who serves as the Commanding General of the United States Army Sustainment Command since July 19, 2022. He most recently served as the Commanding General of 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Fort Shafter, Hawaii from June 16, 2020, to June 14, 2022. He previously served as the Director J/U-4, United States Forces Korea/United Nations Command/Deputy Director, C4 Combined Forces Command located in Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea and as the 40th Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the United States Army Ordnance School at Fort Lee, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent E. Boles</span> United States Army general

Vincent E. Boles is a retired major general in the United States Army and served as the 33rd Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas R. Dickinson</span> United States Army general

Brigadier General Thomas R. Dickinson is a retired general officer in the United States Army and served as the 29th Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul E. Funk II</span> U.S. Army general (born 1962)

Paul Edward Funk II is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who last served as the commanding officer of the Army Training and Doctrine Command. He previously served as the 60th Commanding General of III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas, and as the Commanding General, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. Funk was born at Fort Hood, Texas, graduated from Fort Knox High School, and was commissioned an Armor Officer through ROTC upon graduation from Montana State University in 1984. His first assignments saw him serve in a variety of Armor and Cavalry roles to include Tank Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Squadron Commander of 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment and Brigade Commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division located at Fort Hood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark J. O'Neil</span> Retired US Army general (born 1964)

Mark J. O'Neil is a retired United States Army major general who last served as the commander of U.S. Army Alaska. He previously served as the commanding officer of Delta Force from July 2, 2009 to August 2011. He has participated in numerous combat operations, such as; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He assumed his final assignment on July 12, 2017, before retiring in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew J. Van Wagenen</span> American army general

Matthew J. Van Wagenen is a United States Army major general who currently serves as deputy chief of staff for operations (DCOS-OPS) of Allied Command Operations in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. He was previously the deputy commanding general of V Corps at Victory Forward in Poznan, Poland and another prior assignment was as the chief of staff of operations of NATO, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. He served as deputy commanding general of the 3rd Division and the 1st Cavalry Division, and as the commander of Task Force Southeast in Gardez City, Paktia Province, Afghanistan, from March to August 2017. He has participated in numerous combat operations, such as the Battle of Ramadi in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Wharton (general)</span> US Army officer (born c. 1957)

Major General John Francis Wharton is a retired general of the United States Army. He was a career Army Logistician who also led US Army Science and Technology. In his last assignment served as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Before that, Wharton served as the commanding general of U.S. Army Sustainment Command and Rock Island Arsenal, and as the senior commander for U.S. Army Garrison, Rock Island, Illinois.

References

  1. 1 2 Irv Moss (October 28, 2008). "General's success starts in Gunnison". The Denver Post . Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  2. May 24, 2004, The New York Times
  3. German Court Case