Joey Strickland is an American military officer. He retired from the Army after 29 years, and became Director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, then became Veterans Affairs Secretary for the state of Louisiana.

Childhood

Strickland is a

Choctaw The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

. He graduated from high school in 1966 and went directly into the Army.

Career

Strickland served 28.9 years in the U.S. Army, including two combat tours of duty in Vietnam. In 1994, he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and was later appointed Colonel in the

Louisiana State Guard The Louisiana State Guard (LSG) is the official state defense force of the state of Louisiana. The LSG was first created during World War II. As a state defense force, the LSG is a part of the state militia of Louisiana, and can serve as a statesid ...

by Governor Mike Foster, while serving on the Governor's Military Advisory Board. Strickland was Director of the Louisiana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs from January 1996 to August 2004. He was executive director of Veterans Affairs in Louisiana. He was president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs from 2003 to 2004.

Arizona Department of Veterans' Services

Strickland was appointed director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services by

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 20 ...

in July 2008. He served until April 2013. Strickland was asked to resign by Governor

Jan Brewer Janice Kay Brewer (''née'' Drinkwine, formerly Warren; born September 26, 1944) is an American politician and author who was the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Brewer is the fourth woman (and was ...

, and the forced resignation caused an uproar amongst state veterans, who held Strickland in high regard. Under Strickland, the Department built a new veterans home in Tucson and renovated the one in Phoenix.

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs

Strickland served as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee for Minority Veterans and as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) from 2003-2004. As NASDVA President, he testified on behalf of Veterans issues before the U.S. Congress. Governor

John Bel Edwards John Bel Edwards (born September 16, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of ...

appointed him Secretary of the

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs In 1944, the Louisiana Office of Veterans Affairs was created to provide local services to Louisiana Veterans and their families. As the number of Veterans in the state grew, so did the need to expand programs and services to support their needs. ...

on Jan. 13, 2016. As Veterans Affairs Secretary, he is responsible for overseeing five Veterans Homes, four State Veterans Cemeteries, the department's Parish Service Offices, the Administrative, Contact Assistance, and Claims Divisions, the Military Family Assistance Fund, the Veterans Honor Medal Program, and outreach initiatives for Veterans Service Organizations, homeless, incarcerated and female veterans. Strickland served for more than 15 years as either Director or Deputy Secretary in two states; Louisiana and Arizona.

Awards

His awards include the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

with 4 Bronze

Oak Leaf Clusters An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

Army Commendation Medal 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 ...

(2nd award), Air Medal (3rd award),

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. A ...

with 7 battle stars, Airborne Medal and Overseas Ribbon.

Personal life

Strickland married Leila Hiestand Strickland. They are the parents of three sons and twin daughters.

References

External links

LDVAShreveport Times
http://www.nola.com/northshore/index.ssf/2017/11/veterans_cemetery_fountain_pro.html
Business BuzzKATCGentilly Messenger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strickland, Joey Living people Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit State cabinet secretaries of Arizona State cabinet secretaries of Louisiana United States Army officers Year of birth missing (living people) People using the U.S. civilian title colonel State defense forces of the United States personnel