William E. Ward
| William E. Ward | |
|---|---|
 Ward as a general in November 2009. He was reduced in rank to lieutenant general upon his retirement in 2012. | |
| Nickname(s) | "Kip" |
| Born | March 6, 1949 |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1971–2012 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant general (reduced from  General) |
| Commands held |
U.S. Africa Command Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command 25th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Operation Restore Hope |
| Awards |
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (3) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit (4) |
William E. "Kip" Ward (born March 6, 1949),[1] is a former United States Army four-star general who previously served as Commander, U.S. Africa Command from October 1, 2007 to March 8, 2011. Prior to that, Ward previously served as Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command. After he left U.S. Africa Command, Ward reverted to his permanent rank of major general and served as a special assistant to the Army’s vice chief of staff after the Department of Defense concluded he had misused taxpayer money.[2] Ward then retired with the rank of lieutenant general in November 2012. There is suspicion among some of those who served under Ward's command during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, that he did not earn the Combat Infantryman Badge. There is zero evidence that Ward ever performed duties while personally present and under fire while serving in an assigned infantry, ranger or Special Forces capacity, in a unit of brigade, regimental, or smaller size, engaged in active ground combat, to close with and destroy the enemy with direct fires.
Education
Ward holds an M.A. in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and a B.A. in Political Science from Morgan State University. While at Morgan State he was a member of the National Society of Pershing Rifles. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College.
Military service
Ward was commissioned into the infantry in 1971. His military service includes overseas tours in Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, two tours in Germany, and a wide variety of assignments in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. He relinquished command of Africa Command to General Carter F. Ham.
Probe
While a retirement ceremony was held in April 2011, Ward remained on active-duty, pending a special Army investigation by the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense.[2] The investigation has run 17 months and a ruling on the matter is pending with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Unnamed "defense officials said Ward is facing numerous allegations that he spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars allowing unauthorized people, including family members, to fly on government planes, and spent excessive amounts of money on hotel rooms, transportation and other expenses when he traveled as head of Africa Command".[3] In a Pentagon report, Ward spent $129,000 of taxpayer money on an 11-day trip with an entourage of 13 military and civilian personnel.[4]
Rank
Ward held the four-star grade of general while serving as Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), a "position of importance and responsibility" under Title 10 of the United States Code Subtitle 601 (10 USC § 601).[5] Ward was reduced in rank upon retirement by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Ward's retired rank is that of Lieutenant General which was determined to be the last rank in which he had satisfactorily served.[6]
Awards and decorations
Ward received the following awards and decorations:[1][7]
 |
Combat Infantryman Badge |
 |
Expert Infantryman Badge |
 |
Master Parachutist Badge (United States) |
 |
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge |
 |
Army Staff Identification Badge |
 |
10th Mountain Division Combat Service Identification Badge – SSI-FWTS |
 |
9th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia |
 |
Canadian Parachutist Wings (Red Maple Leaf / Non-Operational) |
  |
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with two bronze Oak Leaf Cluster) |
 |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster)[8] |
 |
Defense Superior Service Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
 |
Legion of Merit (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
 |
Defense Meritorious Service Medal |
  |
Meritorious Service Medal (with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
 |
Joint Service Commendation Medal |
 |
Army Commendation Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
 |
Army Achievement Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster) |
 |
Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
  |
National Defense Service Medal (with two bronze service stars) |
 |
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze service star |
 |
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
 |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
 |
Korea Defense Service Medal |
 |
Humanitarian Service Medal with bronze service star |
 |
Army Service Ribbon |
  |
Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral 6) |
 |
NATO Medal for Yugoslavia with bronze service star |
William E. Ward received the Trumpet Award in 2010[9] as well as the BEYA award for Lifetime Achievement.[10]
Notable memberships
References
- 1 2 "S. HRG. 110–370 Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, First Session, 110th Congress" (PDF). Government Printing Office. pp. 1032–1034. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- 1 2 Vandiver, John, "Former AFRICOM chief Ward still on active duty pending probe", Stars and Stripes, May 28, 2012
- ↑ "APNewsBreak: Army general facing possible demotion for lavish travel, hotel spending", AP via Washington Post, August 15, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ↑ News, Defense. "404". Defense News.
- ↑ "10 USC § 601 – Positions of importance and responsibility: generals and lieutenant generals; admirals and vice admirals | Title 10 – Armed Forces | U.S. Code | LII / Legal Information Institute". Retrieved 2013-05-01.
- ↑ http://www.politico.com/story/2012/11/general-william-ward-demoted-for-lavish-travel-spending-083770
- ↑ "Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates presents the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to outgoing commander of U.S. Africa Command Army Gen. William Ward during the AFRICOM change of command ceremony at Sindelfingen Stadthalle City Hall in Stuttgart, Germany, on March 9, 2011. Ward, the first commander of AFRICOM, handed over the reigns to Army Gen. Carter Ham.". Defense.gov News Photos. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ↑ http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63703
- ↑ http://www.africom.mil/file.asp?HR=2&ID=20100204115435
- ↑ "The United States Army - Page not found". www.army.mil.
- ↑ http://www.100blackmen.org/docs/2012_100_BMOA_Media_Kit.pdf
- ↑ "Feature Page - General Ward - Second District, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.". www.opp2d.org.
- ↑ "General William E. (Kip) Ward (U.S. Army Retired)". www.morgan.edu.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to William E. Ward. |
- "General William E. ("Kip") Ward Commander, United States Africa Command". US Department of Defense. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- Appearances on C-SPAN