Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, a native of North Carolina, was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1971. His early assignments in conventional units included the 2nd Armored Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and as a company commander in the 24h Infantry Division (Mechanized). Special Operations assignments included positions as: A Platoon Leader and then the Company Executive Officer in 1st Battalion (Ranger) 75th Infantry, Fort Stewart, Georgia; Branch Chief at the Florida Ranger School, Eglin, Florida; and Director for Operations at the Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Additionally, LTG Boykin has served a total of thirteen years in the Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta, as a Detachment Commander, Staff Officer, Squadron Commander (twice), the Deputy Commander, and finally, as the Commander. In 1994, LTG Boykin was assigned to Washington, D.C. and the Pentagon as the Chief, Special Operations Division, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff followed by a posting to the Central Intelligence Agency as the Deputy Director of Special Activities and promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. Next, he was assigned to the Army Staff as the Deputy Director for Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization. In 1998, LTG Boykin was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina as the Commanding General, United States Army Special Forces Command. In 2000, he was assigned as the Commanding General, United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 2003, following the creation of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, LTG Boykin was assigned as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in charge of Intelligence and Warfighting Support. LTG Boykin earned a Bachelors of Science Degree from Virginia Tech University in education and a Masters Degree from Shippensburg University in Public Administration. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. Some of LTG Boykin's badges include: the Master Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Special Forces Tab. LTG Boykin is a combat veteran who has participated in numerous operations; some of which include the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission, Granada, Panama, and with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Some of LTG Boykin's awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and the Purple Heart (with Oak Leaf Cluster). Recently, LTG Boykin was the Wheat Professor of Leadership Studies at Hampden- Sydney College in Farmville, Virginia. Currently, he is the Executive Vice President of He is married to the former Ashley Steele of Darien, Connecticut, and they have five children between them. Get your copy of Boots on the Ground: You need to have a battle buddy! Someone you can confess your sins to, call at 2am, you would take into the dark alley, and someone you meet with once a week. of Tell Them, What Great Fathers Tell Their Sons and Daughters
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