Walter H. Yates Jr.
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 Army. He grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1963. He also holds a Master of Science in Foreign Affairs from George Washington University and studied at the Department of Defense Joint Warfighting Course and a Harvard program on National and International Securities Studies.
Throughout his career, Yates held a variety of important command and staff roles. These included Deputy Commanding General of V Corps, United States Army Europe (1994–1996); Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) of the 3rd Armored Division; Commander of the Giessen Military Community in US Army Europe; Commander of U.S. Army Berlin and the Berlin Brigade; and Deputy Director of the National Military Command Center (J-3) and Chief of the Conventional Plans Division (J-7) on the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C. He also commanded Army aviation units, including the 503rd Aviation Battalion (Combat), the Apache Training Brigade, and the 6th Cavalry Brigade. Yates retired from active duty on January 31, 1998.
His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit 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.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:39 (CET).