Visiting Guest Speakers
General Kevin P. Byrnes
 General Byrnes assumed the duties of Commander, United States Army Training and
Doctrine Command on November 7, 2002 after serving as the Director, Army Staff.
General Byrnes was born March 12, 1950 in New York, New York. He was commissioned
through the Officer Candidate School program in 1969. He was awarded a Bachelor of
Arts in Economics from Park College in 1975, and a Master of Arts in Management
from Webster University in 1985.
As TRADOC Commander, General Byrnes is responsible for recruiting, training and
educating the Army's Soldiers; developing its leaders; supporting training in units;
developing doctrine; establishing standards; and building the future Army. TRADOC is
comprised of over 50,000 Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians operating in
33 Army schools across sixteen installations.
Prior to assuming his current duties, he served as Director, Army Staff, the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Programs and as the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff. General Byrnes
other key assignments include: Commanding General, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood,
Texas; while deployed in that capacity, he simultaneously served as the Commanding
General of the Multinational Division (North) in Tuzla, Bosnia from October 1998 to
August 1999; Director, Force Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for
Operations and Plans, Washington, DC; Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), 1st
Cavalry Division; Commanding General, Joint Task Force Six, Fort Bliss, Texas;
Commander, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery and later Chief of Staff, 1st Cavalry
Division; Director of Political and Economic Studies and Director of the Strategic
Outreach Initiative for the United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks,
Pennsylvania; Commander, 4th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery in 2nd Armored Division
(Forward) in Germany; and Commander, Battery C, 1st Battalion, 39th Field Artillery,
Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His overseas tours include Vietnam, Germany and Bosnia.
General Byrnes is a graduate of the Command and Staff College and the Army War
College. Among his awards and decorations are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal;
Distinguished Service Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit and
Bronze Star Medal.
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Colonel Kevin A. Shwedo
Colonel Kevin A. Shwedo is currently the G-3 (Director of Operations, Plans and Training) for United States Army Accessions Command at Fort Monroe. He assumed responsibilities as the G-3 following duty as the Chief of the TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) Commanding General's Planning Group.
He was designated a Distinguished Military Graduate from Valley Forge Military Junior College in 1976. He later graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Business and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the United States Army. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University.
His military schooling includes the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Armor Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College, Joint Military Professional Education and the United States Army War College.
Colonel Shwedo served as a project officer at the U.S. Army Infantry School and later as a platoon leader in the 197th Infantry Brigade. From 1981 through 1985 he served as a Mechanized Rifle Platoon Leader, Support Platoon Leader, Battalion S-4 and commanded both HHC and C Companies of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment in Illesheim, Germany. He then served as an Instructor at the U.S. Army Engineer School for two years. Colonel Shwedo served as the Senior Combat Arms Analyst to the Director of Officer Personnel Management at the Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Virginia. He then moved to Fort Carson, Colorado and served as a Battalion S-3 for 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. Following graduation from the Command and General Staff College in 1991 he was assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Battalion S-3 and Executive Officer for the 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment and the S-3 for the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division.
Colonel Shwedo then served as the Director of Personnel and Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint Task Force Six in El Paso, Texas. In July 1995, he took command of the 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He then served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3 for the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) during the Division Advanced Warfighting Experiment. After graduating from the Army War College in 1999 he was assigned to the U.S. Army Forces Command in Atlanta where he served as the Special Assistant and Speechwriter to the Commanding General of United States Army Forces Command in Atlanta, Georgia. Col Shwedo then successfully commanded the largest Basic Combat Training Brigade on the Army at Fort Jackson , South Carolina.
His awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with seven Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Achievement Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster) and Army Achievement Medal (with four Oak Leaf Clusters).
Colonel Shwedo is married to the former Beth Cameron of Greensboro, North Carolina. They have two children, a daughter, Cameron and a son, Ryan.
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Colonel Walter T. Lord
COL Walt Lord was assigned as Chief of Staff, Joint Headquarters, Pennsylvania National Guard on May 1, 2006. In this position, he provides oversight and coordination of all staff and command actions at the Joint Headquarters, as well as serving as liaison between the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Governor’s Office and other state and federal agencies. Prior to his assignment as the Chief of Staff, COL Lord was the Assistant Chief of Staff G3 (Chief of Operations, Plans and Training) for the 28th Infantry Division. As such, he was responsible for all matters pertaining to current operations, future plans, training, force structure, and mobilization for a National Guard Division consisting of more than 13,000 soldiers.
COL Lord was born in Philadelphia, PA in January 1965. He was educated at Saint John Neumann High School, Valley Forge Military College, and LaSalle University. He enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, 111th Infantry in 1982 at the age of 17. In 1984, he was commissioned into the Pennsylvania Army National Guard from Valley Forge and served in various troop-level assignments with 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry, 28th Infantry Division until 1990. In 1990 COL Lord entered active duty through the Active Guard & Reserve (AGR) program.
COL Lord’s stateside AGR assignments include: Assistant Professor of Military Science (Army ROTC) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; concurrent assignment as Commander, Headquarters Company, 56th Brigade, 28th ID and Assistant Chief of Staff,
PA National Guard; Executive Officer to the Director of Army Logistics at National Guard Bureau (NGB) in Washington; Chief of the European Branch in the International Affairs Division at NGB; G5 (Civil-military Operations), 28th Infantry Division during the Division Headquarters’ deployment for Stabilization Force (SFOR) 12, the NATO peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. Upon returning from Bosnia, COL Lord served as the first commander of 2nd Squadron (RSTA), 104th U.S. Cavalry, a newly established unit that provides reconnaissance, security, and intelligence to the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, the only Stryker Brigade in the entire Army National Guard.
COL Lord’s last overseas AGR assignment was as Deputy United States National Military Representative (USNMR) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at Mons, Belgium. Before that he served as the National Guard Plans, Policy, and Training Advisor to the Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP) at U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, a bilateral engagement program with 17 Central and Eastern European countries.
His professional military education includes the Armor Officer Basic Course (Cavalry), Armor and Ordnance Advance Courses, the Junior Officer Maintenance Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Air Command and Staff College, the College of Naval Command and Staff, and the U.S. Army War College. He holds a Masters Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.
COL Lord’s decorations include 2 Defense Meritorious Service Medals, 6 Meritorious Service Medals, 3 Army Commendation Medals, 3 Army Achievement Medals, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the NATO Medal for service in Bosnia, 2 Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, the Joint Staff Badge, and the Army Staff Badge. His state awards include the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Medal and the Maryland Commendation Medal. He has earned his spurs as a cavalryman and has been awarded the Bronze Medallion of the Order of Saint George.
He is married to the former Grace Power of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Grace is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in Marketing & Management and has been the key to the Lord family’s successful survival through 9 moves, including 2 overseas moves, during the Lord family’s first 15 years of service. They have two sons: Ryan and Andrew (“Drew”) and they currently live in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
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Major General W. Montague Winfield
Commanding General, United States Army Cadet Command
MG W. Montague Winfield graduated from Virginia State University in 1977 with both a Baccalaureate and a Master's Degree in Education, earned a second Master's Degree in Corporate Management and Technology from the University of
Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College
and the US Army War College. In November 1992, he assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry, 194th Separate Armored Brigade and later commanded a
logistics heavy task force tasked to equip and train the world's first Caribbean
Community Combined (CARICOM) Task Force, serving as trainer and advisor to the CARICOM Task Force during the intervention and subsequent UN peacekeeping
mission in Haiti. He assumed command of 3d Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany in July 1996 and, in October 1996, he and the Brigade Headquarters
deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of the Covering Force for Operation Joint Endeavor (IFOR).
In March 1997, MG Winfield deployed the 3d Brigade Combat Team to Bosnia-Herzegovina for Operation Joint Guard (SFOR). MG Winfield served as the Deputy Director for Operations, J3, in the National Military Command Center, and was present as the General Officer-in-Charge during the terrorist attacks of 9/11. MG Winfield also served on the Council on Foreign Relations, a national membership organization headquartered in New York City. MG Winfield then served as the Assistant Division Commander (Support), 25th Infantry Division (Light) and United States Army, Hawaii and Deputy Commanding General for Multi-National Division (North) in Bosnia-Herzegovina for SFOR 11.
Prior to his assignment to US Army Cadet Command, MG Winfield served as the first Commanding General of the newly formed Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii, responsible for conducting recovery operations in over fifty countries. MG Winfield's awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), the Legion of Merit (three awards), the Meritorious Service Medal (six awards), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and the NATO Medal. He is also Ranger, Airborne, and Air Assault qualified.
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Command Sergeant Major Joseph R. Allen
Command Sergeant Major Allen's military career spans over 26 years. He entered the Army in July 1975. He completed Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina with his first duty assignment in Worms, Germany as a Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic in the 5th Signal Command. After returning from Germany, CSM Allen attended Basic Airborne School and Infantry Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. In December 1978, CSM Allen was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division, 1st Battalion, 505th Airborne Infantry, Combat Support Company (CSC) as a Rifleman. In July 1983, he was assigned to Foxtrot Company, 82d Aviation Brigade, as an Attack Helicopter Repairman and Squad Leader. He deployed to Grenada with this unit in December 1985 and returned to Germany as First Sergeant, Golf Troop, 2d Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment in Bamberg, Germany. In August 1988, CSM Allen was assigned to 5/16 Infantry, Fort Riley, Kansas as an Anti-Armor Maintenance Supervisor. In January 1990, he returned to Germany where he was assigned to 2d Brigade, 3d Armored Division in Geluhausen as the First Sergeant. He deployed to Saudi Arabia with this unit. After Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he was assigned to the 414th Base Support Battalion as the First Sergeant and later, as Battalion Command Sergeant Major. In October 1995, CSM Allen returned to the 82d Airborne Division, DISCOM, 82d Forward Support Battalion, as the Battalion Command Sergeant Major and later as the DISCOM Command Sergeant Major from June 1999 to June 2002. In July 2002, CSM Allen became the 1ST Corps Support Command's Command Sergeant Major.
Throughout his career, CSM Allen has continued to further both his military and civilian education and training. He is a graduate of the Basic Airborne Course and the 82d Airborne Division Jumpmaster Course. He is also a graduate of all the Non-Commissioned Officer Educational Schools (NCOES), including the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. He holds an Associates of Science Degree in General Studies from Webster University.
His awards and decorations include: The Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Overseas Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Master Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Aviation Crewchief Badge, Austrian and German Parachutist Badges.
CSM Allen is married to the former Patricia A. Parks of Fayetteville, North Carolina and they have two sons, Jamaal and Marcus.
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MG Alan Wayne “Bud” Thrasher
MG ThrasherMG Thrasher was born on July 28, 1950 in Royston, Georgia. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1972 and has served in a diversified array of positions throughout his career. After his initial assignments with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, KS, he completed overseas assignments as a Battalion Fire Support Officer, Battalion Motor Officer, and a 155MM Howitzer Battery Commander with the 3rd Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. He returned to the U.S. as Assistant Professor of Military Science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and followed that assignment as Assistant Operations/Training Officer of the Combined Field Army Headquarters in Korea. He was then assigned to the Division Artillery as the Assistant Operations and Training Officer and then 8-inch/MLRS Battalion S3 in the 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO.
He returned to Germany in successive assignments as the Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, and Assistant G-3, VII (US) Corps, Stuttgart, Germany. He commanded the 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (MLRS), XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery, Fort Bragg, NC, and deployed with the battalion to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Upon his return, he served as a Special Assistant to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, VA. He again returned to Germany to command the 1st Armored Division Artillery, Baumholder, Germany, which included service during Operation Joint Endeavour in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Following his Command, MG Thrasher served as a Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe at SHAPE Headquarters in Mons, Belgium. Subsequently he was reassigned at the same Headquarters as Chief, Requirements & Programs Branch, Policy & Requirements Division. He returned from Belgium, and served as the Commanding General of the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery at Fort Bragg, NC. In July, 2002, he was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Developments, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. He has held a wide variety of important command and staff positions culminating in his current assignment as Commanding General, U.S. Army Cadet Command in July 2003.
MG Thrasher graduated from North Georgia College, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree and was selected as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He also holds a master's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His professional military education includes the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Armor Officer Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. Additionally, MG Thrasher has completed both German and American Airborne Schools and Jumpmaster training.
MG Thrasher’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, The Army Commendation Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, NATO Medal, the Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic, and the German and U.S. Parachutist Badges.
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MSG Matt Eversmann
MSG Matt EversmannA native of Bay Shore, NY, and raised in Natural Bridge, VA, Eversmann enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in December 1987. Upon graduation from basic training was stationed at Ft Drum, NY, with the 2/87th Infantry Rgt, 10th Mountain Division. In 1992 he reenlisted and arrived at Ft Benning, GA, for his assignment in the 3/75 Ranger Regiment. He spent eight and one half years in the Regiment serving as a squad leader, a weapons squad leader, the Battalion Air Operations Sergeant, the Battalion Liaison Sergeant, and a Platoon Sergeant. Eversmann also was the Officer-in-Charge of the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Pre-Ranger Course that helped train future leaders to pass the grueling Army Ranger School.
While serving in the Ranger Regiment, MSG Eversmann traveled the world. From Panama to England, Korea to Egypt, he met and trained with soldiers across the globe. In August of 1993, he and his company deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in support of Operation Gothic Serpent. MSG Eversmann led a team of Rangers in the rescue attempt of the downed Blackhawk pilots in Mogadishu, Somalia. His actions are prominently portrayed in the movie Blackhawk Down.
Eversmann has attended: Airborne, Ranger, Sniper, Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) School, Primary Leadership Development Course, The Army’s Basic Noncomm-issioned Officers Course as well as the Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course. He was the Leadership Award winner at Ranger School, the Primary Course and the Basic Course. He also graduated from the Master Fitness School, Jumpmaster School, Special Operations Tactics Course, and the Equal Opportunity Course.
Eversmann wears the following awards and decorations: the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Ribbon, 7 Army Achievement Medals, 3 Army Commendation Medals, 2 Meritorious Service Medal, the Ranger Tab, Master Parachute Wings, Royal Thai Jump Wings, British Jump Wings, Egyptian Jump Wings, and the Expert Infantryman’s Badge. For his service in Somalia he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. In August 2000, MSG Eversmann was awarded an honorary bachelor's degree from Hampden-Sydney College in recognition for service to his country.
Currently, MSG Eversmann is a Senior ROTC Instructor at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is married to the former Victoria Dukehart from Baltimore and has one daughter named Molly. His father, Bob Eversmann, is a 1950 graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy.
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Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston
SMA PrestonSMA Preston was sworn in as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004. SMA Preston has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career ranging from cavalry scout to command sergeant major.
As Sergeant Major of the Army, Preston serves as the Army Chief of Staff's personal advisor on all enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life. He devotes the majority of his time to traveling throughout the Army observing training, and talking to soldiers and their families. He sits on a wide variety of councils and boards that make decisions affecting enlisted soldiers and their families and is routinely invited to testify before Congress.
Preston is a native of Mount Savage, MD, and was born Feb. 18, 1957. Preston entered the Army on June 30, 1975. He attended Basic Training and Armor Advanced Individual Training at Fort Knox, KY.
Throughout his 28-year career, he has served in every enlisted leadership position from cavalry scout and tank commander to his current position as Sergeant Major of the Army. Other assignments he held as command sergeant major were 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, 3rd "Grey Wolf" Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Armored Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, and V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany.
His most recent assignment was as the command sergeant major for Combined Joint Task Force 7 serving in Baghdad, Iraq.
His military education includes Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officer's Course, First Sergeant's Course, M1/M1A1 Tank Master Gunner Course, Master Fitness Trainer Course, Battle Staff Noncommissioned Officer's Course, and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.
His awards and decorations include two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Army Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait), Kosovo Medal, the NATO Medal and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
He and his wife have three children.
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