Walter E. Fountain (born November 7, 1961) is a retired

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer who attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. In his final assignment, he served beginning in January 2018 as Director of Domestic Operations and Force Development at the National Guard Bureau. His previous assignments include Assistant to the

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...

for National Guard Matters, Deputy Director for Domestic Operations (J-3) at

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

, Assistant

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the

Oklahoma National Guard The Oklahoma National Guard, a division of the Oklahoma Military Department, is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It comprises both Army (OKARNG) and Air (OKANG) National Guard components. The Governor ...

, and acting Deputy Director of the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

Early life

Walter Emery Fountain was born in

Prague, Oklahoma Prague () is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,346 at the 2020 census, an 1.76 percent decrease from the figure of 2,388 in 2010. Czech immigrants founded the city, and named it after the capital of the pres ...

, on November 7, 1961. He enlisted in the

Oklahoma Army National Guard The Oklahoma Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Oklahoma National Guard. The Commander in Chief of the Oklahoma National Guard is the Governor of Oklahoma, who appoints the State Adjutant General (TAG), a Major Genera ...

in 1980, and was trained as a UH-1 helicopter mechanic.

Start of military career

In 1981 he completed

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

and received his commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

. Fountain later became qualified in the Aviation branch and advanced through several command and staff assignments. He became a full-time member of the National Guard in 1986. His command positions included:

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

C, 1st

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

245th Aviation

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

Lexington, Oklahoma Lexington is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States. The city population was 2,152 at the 2010 census. Geography Lexington is located in southern Cleveland County at . It is bordered on the west by the Canadian River, which forms the ...

(1991–1994); Airfield, Headquarters, State Area Command,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

(1994–1996); Army Aviation Support Facility, Headquarters, State Area Command, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1996–1997); 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

(2001–2003); and 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2003–2005). Fountain is a veteran of the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, having served as Chief of National Guard Affairs for

Multi-National Corps – Iraq Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I) was a formerly multinational, later U.S. only, army corps created on 15 May 2004, fighting the Iraq War. Its superior body, the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) had replaced Combined Joint Task Force 7 on ...

Camp Victory Camp Victory was the primary component of the Victory Base Complex (VBC) which occupied the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters for the Multi-National Corps – Iraq (and l ...

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

from 2008 to 2009.

Career as a general officer

In November, 2011 Fountain was promoted to brigadier general and assigned as the Oklahoma National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General – Army. He served in this position until July, 2012 when he was appointed a Special Assistant to the Director of the Army National Guard. Fountain served as acting Deputy Director of the Army National Guard in 2013, following the departure of Timothy J. Kadavy for an assignment in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and prior to the arrival of Kadavy’s replacement, Judd H. Lyons. He again acted as Deputy Director from January, 2014 to March, 2015, while Deputy Director Judd H. Lyons acted as Director of the Army National Guard. In June, 2015 Lyons was reassigned and Fountain again became acting Deputy Director, pending selection of permanent replacement. In October, 2015 Fountain was assigned as deputy director for domestic operations (J-3) at

. Fountain was assigned as Special Assistant to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau and promoted to

in October, 2016. In December, 2016 he was assigned as Assistant to the

for National Guard Matters. In January 2018, he was assigned as Director of Domestic Operations and Force Development at the National Guard Bureau. He retired in 2020.

Education

In 1996 Fountain completed a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

Applied Science Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

s at

Thomas Edison State College Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is a public university in Trenton, New Jersey. The university is one of New Jersey's 11 senior public institutions of higher education. Thomas Edison State University offers degrees at the undergraduate and ...

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree in

Natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...

and Applied Sciences from

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in 1998. In 2002 Fountain graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

with a

Master’s degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Strategic Studies. In addition to the Army War College, Fountain’s military education includes: the Infantry Officer Basic Course; Aviation Officer Advanced Course; Air Assault School;

Airborne School The United States Army Airborne School – widely known as Jump School – conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for the United States Armed Forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry, Uni ...

;

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

; Joint Air Command and Control Course; Joint and Combined Warfighting Course; and Joint Task Force Commanders Course. Fountain has also completed executive-level seminars and similar education, to include: Level IV Antiterrorism Executive Seminar; General Officer/Senior Executive Service Force Integration Course; National Security Management Course,

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

; and George C. Marshall Center Senior Executive Seminar,

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

After

ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

Transition.

Family

Fountain has been married to the former Elizabeth Ann Thompson since 2007. Mrs. Fountain graduated from Oklahoma State University, where she was a sorority sister of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

.Yahoo News Groups, News of the Force
News from the National Guard
December 3, 2011

Awards

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

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 Me ...

(with 2 Bronze

Oak Leaf Cluster 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 ...

s) *

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 ...

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal A Reserve Good Conduct Medal refers to any one of the five military conduct awards, four of which are currently issued and one of which was previously issued, by the United States Armed Forces to members of the Reserve and National Guard. The pri ...

(with 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters) *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

(with Bronze

Service Star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

) *

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. ...

(with Bronze Service Star) *

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (includi ...

Armed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) is a service medal of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1950. The medal recognizes service performed by members of the reserve components and is awarded to both officers and enlisted perso ...

(with Silver

Hourglass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...

Device and 'M' Device) *

Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritori ...

Army Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) is a military award of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. History Effective 1 Au ...

* Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon (with Bronze Numeral 2) *

Army Master Aviator Badge An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Parachutist Badge A parachutist badge (or parachutist brevet) is a military badge awarded by the armed forces of many states to soldiers who have received parachute training and completed the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the ...

Air Assault Badge The Air Assault Badge, U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 18 January 1978, last accessed 16 October 2020 is awarded by the U.S. Army for successful completion of the Air Assault School. The course includes three phases of instruction involving ...

Assignments

#December 1981 – November 1982,

platoon leader {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth militaries and the United States Marine Corps, US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This pers ...

, Detachment 1, Company A, 1st Battalion 179th Infantry,

Fairfax, Oklahoma Fairfax is a town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The Osage Nation reservation is coterminous with the county. The population was 1,380 at the 2010 census, down 11.3 percent from the figure of 1,555 recorded in 2000. It is notable as t ...

#November 1982 – July 1983, Student, Rotary Wing Aviation Course,

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

#July 1983 – March 1986, Pilot, Detachment 2, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 45th Infantry Brigade,

#April 1986 – September 1987, Section Commander, Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 45th Infantry Brigade, Lexington, Oklahoma #September 1987 – February 1989, S-1, Troop Command (Aviation), Lexington, Oklahoma #February 1989 – September 1991, Platoon Leader, Company B, 1st Battalion 245th Aviation, Lexington, Oklahoma #October 1991 – September 1994, Commander, Company C, 1st Battalion 245th Aviation, Lexington, Oklahoma #September 1994 – August 1996, Airfield Commander, Headquarters, State Area Command, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #September 1996 – August 1997, Commander, Army Aviation Support Facility, Headquarters, State Area Command, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #September 1997 – August 2001, S-3 (Air), Headquarters, State Area Command, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #September 2001 – August 2003, Commander, 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation,

#September 2003 – June 2005, Commander, 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #July 2005 – November 2008, Director, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Joint Force Headquarters, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #November 2008 – June 2009, Chief, National Guard Affairs, Multi-National Corps – Baghdad, Iraq #June 2009 – November 2011, Director, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Joint Force Headquarters, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #November 2011 – July 2012, Assistant Adjutant General – Army, Joint Force Headquarters, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #July 2012 – September 2013, Support Special Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia #October 2013 – September 2014, Operations Special Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia #October 2014 – October 2015, Special Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard Liaison for Force Structure and Strategic Policy, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia #October 2015 – September 2016, Deputy Director, Operations, J-3, United States Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado #October 2016 - December 2016, Special Assistant to the Chief, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia, #December 2016 – December 2017, Assistant to the

for National Guard Matters, Washington, District of Columbia #January 2018 - 2020, Director, Domestic Operations and Force Development NGB J-3/7, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia

Effective dates of promotions

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, October 21, 2016 *

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, November 8, 2011 *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, September 11, 2003 *

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, October 10, 1996 *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, December 4, 1991 *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, April 2, 1987 *

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, December 2, 1984 *

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

, December 3, 1981

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fountain, Walter E. 1961 births Living people People from Prague, Oklahoma People from Norman, Oklahoma United States Army personnel of the Iraq War Thomas Edison State University alumni American Master Army Aviators Oklahoma State University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals National Guard (United States) generals Oklahoma National Guard personnel