Walter E. Piatt

employment, and engagement in their communities.

Piatt became CEO of Wounded Warrior Project in March 2024, when he replaced outgoing chief executive officer Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Linnington.

Piatt states that the mission and vision of Wounded Warrior Project compelled him to join the organization. He believes every service member deserves support in getting back on a path of hope and purpose. As he begins the next phase of his career with Wounded Warrior Project, Piatt looks forward to pursuing an innovative, compassionate vision for American veterans and their families.

Before joining Wounded Warrior Project, Piatt served as the Commanding General at Fort Drum, New York, then as Director of the Army Staff at Army Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

His term as Commanding General at Fort Drum began in 2017 and carried into 2019. Throughout his tenure, he worked to strengthen connections between the Army base and the surrounding communities while supporting and promoting investments in local energy security and resilience. He also served as the base’s leading representative in local, regional, and national media campaigns, as well as local community engagement efforts.

Piatt was appointed Director of the Army Staff in 2019. In this role, he worked to advance the Army’s vision and strategy, supervising a team of more than 6,000 personnel and overseeing a $180 billion annual budget. Piatt managed the Army’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and engaged with national media and other stakeholders to disseminate accurate and timely information.

He guided the development of the Army’s first Climate Strategy in recognition of the substantial security threat posed by climate change. Piatt is also recognized for evolving the practice of mindfulness across the U.S. Army, which has shown significant improvements in service member attention and self-reported fulfillment alongside declines in PTSD symptoms.

Piatt received an honorary doctorate from his undergraduate alma mater, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, recognizing his unwavering devotion to public service. He also developed and taught “Peacebuilding,” a graduate-level course at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Piatt has written and published two books: She Came to the Door to Wave Good-Bye and Paktika. Both are collections of personal short stories and poems inspired by Piatt’s deployments to Afghanistan, and his understanding of the physical and emotional toll warriors carry as they transition from combat to home.

Piatt holds master’s degrees in Military History and Military Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College and School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and completed a senior service college fellowship at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.