Major General Walter Harvey Yates Jr. (born November 6, 1941) is a retired United States Army officer who served as Deputy Commanding General of the

Fifth United States Army Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

. He is a native of

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...

and 1963 graduate of

The University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Foreign Affairs from George Washington University. In addition, General Yates attended the DOD Joint Warfighting course and the

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

program for National and International Securities Studies. During his career, Yates held a variety of important command and staff positions to include Deputy Commanding General V (US) Corps, United States Army Europe from September 26, 1994 to September 24, 1996; Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), 3rd Armored Division; Commander of the Giessen Military Community, United States Army Europe; Commander U.S. Army Berlin and the Berlin Brigade, United States Army Europe; and Deputy Director National Military Command Center J-3 and Chief of Conventional Plans Division J-7, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. A graduate of the Army Aviation School, he also served as commanding officer of the 503rd Aviation Battalion (Combat), the

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

Training Brigade and the 6th Cavalry Brigade. Yates retired from active duty on January 31, 1998. His military decorations include 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, twenty-three Air Medals and the Army Commendation Medal. * Distinguished Service Medal ribbon

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 ...

US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon

with oak leaf cluster * Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon

Distinguished Flying Cross * Bronze Star ribbon

Bronze Star * Purple Heart ribbon

Purple Heart * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster * Air Medal ribbon

Air Medal with numeral "23" * Army Commendation Medal ribbon

Army Commendation Medal

Personal

Yates is the son of Walter Harvey Yates Sr. (December 15, 1913 – September 24, 1996) and Mary Marie (Mordica) Yates (February 25, 1918 – July 6, 2014).

Notes

References

* 1941 births Living people People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi alumni American Master Army Aviators United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Elliott School of International Affairs alumni Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Harvard University alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin {{US-Army-bio-stub