News and Events

Major General (Retired) Walt Lord will be the Memorial Day keynote speaker on Monday, May 27, at 12:30 p.m. at the Memorial at Spruce Street and Columbus Blvd. He retired in July of 2018, culminating a 36-year Army career. In his last military assignment prior to retirement, he served as the Military Executive to the Reserve Forces Policy Board in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC

General Lord was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and educated at Saint John Neumann High School, Valley Forge Military College, and LaSalle University. He enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment in 1982 at the age of 17. In 1984, he was commissioned into the Pennsylvania Army National Guard at Valley Forge and served in various troop-level assignments with 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry, 28th Infantry Division until 1990. In 1990, General Lord entered active duty through the Active Guard & Reserve (AGR) program as a Captain.

He has served as Assistant Professor of Military Science (Army ROTC) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; concurrent assignment as Commander, Headquarters Company, 56th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division and Assistant Chief of Staff, Pennsylvania National Guard; Executive Officer to the Director of Army Logistics at National Guard Bureau (NGB) in Washington; Chief of the European Branch in the International Affairs Division at NGB; Commander of 2nd Squadron, 104th U.S. Cavalry, the Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Squadron of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, located in Reading, Pennsylvania; Chief of Plans, Operations, and Training (G3) of the 28th Infantry Division in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Chief of Staff of the Pennsylvania National Guard; and Deputy Commanding General of the 28th Infantry Division

His overseas service includes assignments as Deputy United States National Military Representative (USNMR) at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at Mons, Belgium and National Guard Plans, Policy, and Training Advisor to the Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP) at U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. He deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in 2002 as Chief of Civil-Military Operations, (G5), 28th Infantry Division during the Division Headquarters’ deployment as part of NATO’s Stabilization Force, and to Afghanistan in 2008 where he served as an embedded trainer with Task Force Phoenix as the Director of and Senior Mentor to the newly established Afghan Senior Command & Staff Course (War College) in Kabul. In 2012, he returned to BiH for a year and served as Commander of NATO’s Headquarters in Sarajevo and as NATO’s Senior Military Representative in BiH.

General Lord has participated in two dual-status Joint Task Forces for domestic operations with United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM). In September, 2009, he served as Chief of Staff of JTF-G20 in support of the Group of 20 World Economic Summit in Pittsburgh. He also served as Deputy Commander of JTF-NSJ in support of the 100th Anniversary National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia in the summer of 2010. He has participated in major multinational exercises in Germany, Egypt, and the Republic of Korea

He has completed the Cavalry Officer Basic Course, Armor and Ordnance Advance Courses, the Junior Officer Maintenance Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Air Command and Staff College, Naval Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. In 2012, he attended the Senior Executive Seminar at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and the General/Flag Officers and Ambassadors Course at the NATO Defense College. In 2014, he completed the National Defense University’s CAPSTONE Course for General and Flag Officers and in 2015 he completed the Advanced Joint Professional Military Education Course at the Joint Forces Staff College. He is a National Security Fellow of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. General Lord holds a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

General Lord’s is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, 2 Defense Superior Service Medals, 2 Legion of Merit Medals, the Bronze Star Medal, 2 Defense Meritorious Service Medals, 6 Meritorious Service Medals, 3 Army Commendation Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, 3 Army Achievement Medals, the Afghan Campaign Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, 3 NATO Medals for service in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Afghanistan, 5 Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff Badge, the Joint Staff Badge, and the Army Staff Badge. His foreign awards include the French Army Commemorative Medal for service in Afghanistan, the European Union Cooperative Security and Defense Medal, and the Hungarian Medal for Service to the Alliance. He has earned gold and silver spurs as a Cavalryman and has been awarded the Silver Medallion of the Order of Saint George