Walter L. Sharp

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Walter L. Sharp

General Walter L. Sharp, USA
Nickname	United States Army
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1974 - present
Rank	General
Commands held	U.S. Forces Korea 3rd Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Operation Desert Storm Operation Desert Shield Operation Southern Watch Operation Uphold Democracy
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Bronze Star Legion of Merit

General Walter L. "Skip" Sharp, USA, is the current Commander, U.S. Forces Korea. He previously served as the Director of the Joint Staff from 2005 to June 2008. He assumed his current assignment on June 3, 2008.

General Sharp was born in Morgantown, West Virginia while his father was fighting in the Korean War. As a child he moved among many cavalry posts until he went to the United States Military Academy in 1970. General Sharp graduated from West Point in 1974 and was commissioned an Armor officer. He has earned a Master of Science degree in Operations Research and System Analysis from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and is a graduate of the Armor Basic Course, the Field Artillery Advanced Course, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.

General Sharp’s command positions include armor Company Commander 1st Battalion, 67th Armor, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Squadron Commander 1st Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood Texas; Regimental Commander 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, Louisiana; Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea; and Division Commander, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. He commanded troops in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and SFOR’s Multinational Division (North) in Bosnia.

General Sharp has served in the Directorate of Combat Developments at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Armor/Anti-Armor Special Task Force, and the Armored System Modernization Office at the Pentagon. He has had four assignments at the Pentagon on the Joint Staff. He was the Deputy Director, J5 for Western Hemisphere/Global Transnational Issues; the Vice Director, J8 for Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment; the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J5; and the Director of the Joint Staff.

His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star, and Legion of Merit.

General Sharp is married to the former Joanne R. Caporaso of Brooklyn, New York. The Sharps have three children; Elizabeth, married to Major Paul Weyrauch, stationed at Hohenfels, Germany, granddaughter Emma Rosa; Steven, working as an HR specialist in Rosslyn, Virginia; and Kevin, a graduate student studying climatology at the University of Colorado.