Irving Leslie Halter Jr. is a retired Air Force Major General and a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He ran for the United States House of Representatives in

Colorado's 5th congressional district Colorado's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. The district lies in the center of the state and comprises Colorado Springs and its suburbs including Cimarron Hills and Fort Carson. The distri ...

in the

2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014. * 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014 Africa * 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014 * 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014 * 2014 Comorian presi ...

Personal life and education

A native of New Jersey, Halter graduated from Woodstown High School in 1973. Halter graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1977, majoring in history. He was a distinguished graduate of the Air Command and Staff College at

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

, and in 1990 earned an M.S. degree in international relations from

Troy State University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...

Military career

After graduating from the Air Force Academy, Halter served as a fighter pilot. He served in eight different fighter units in the Pacific, Europe, and the United States. Halter would hold high positions in the Pentagon and the National Reconnaissance Office, and was the vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy. Halter served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

and the

National Intelligence Medal of Achievement The National Intelligence Medal of Achievement is an award that was presented to members of the United States Intelligence Community, both civilian and military, to recognize significant acts of service to the community as a whole. The National Int ...

. Halter was awarded the Bronze Star twice. His last military assignment was with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After retiring from the military, Halter became vice president of space and aviation programs at

Computer Sciences Corporation Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) was an American multinational corporation that provided information technology (IT) services and professional services. On April 3, 2017, it merged with the Enterprise Services line of business of HP Ente ...

. Halter serves on the board of the Military Affairs Committee of the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance. Halter has appeared on NPR, discussing precision weapons and air strikes.

2014 Congressional candidacy and Colorado Dept of Local Affairs

Halter ran for Congress in

. The 5th district is home to the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson,

Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in ...

, and Petersen Air Force Base. Halter was a Republican, but became an independent and later a Democrat. Of his party affiliation, he says, "I didn't leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party left me. What disturbs me about the Republican Party is it's become the party of 'My way or the highway.' It's all about a certain doctrine and if you don't adhere to that doctrine, you're called names." He lost the election to incumbent

Doug Lamborn Douglas Lawrence Lamborn (born May 24, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. His district is based in Colorado Springs. Early life and career Born ...

. In April 2015, Halter was appointed as Executive Director of Colorado Department of Local Affairs by Governor John Hickenlooper and served in that cabinet-level position until January 2019. The department was responsible for assisting local communities and counties through professional administrative advice and substantial monetary grants for infrastructure. The department also served as the State Housing Authority channeling Federal and State investments into low income housing and permanent supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halter, Irv Living people Politicians from Colorado Springs, Colorado United States Air Force Academy alumni Troy University alumni Colorado Democrats Colorado Republicans United States Air Force generals Woodstown High School alumni People from Salem County, New Jersey Military personnel from New Jersey Military personnel from Colorado 1954 births