Lieutenant General (Retired) Charles D. Luckey
Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command
“Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey assumed duty as the Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command on 30 June 2016 and relinquished command on 02 July 2020.
As the Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command, he led a community-based force of more than 200,000 Soldiers and Civilians with a "footprint" that includes 50 states, five territories, and more than 30 countries.
The Army Reserve is a critical force provider of trained and ready units and Soldiers providing full spectrum capabilities essential for the Army to fight and win wars and respond to homeland emergencies on behalf of the American people.
He was commissioned in the Army after graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Virginia in 1977. He began his military career as an Infantry Officer leading Soldiers in both mechanized and Special Forces units until separating from active duty in 1982 to attend law school. In 1985, he returned to active duty and served with the 82d Airborne, Ft. Bragg, NC. In 1991, he transferred to the Army Reserve and subsequently commanded units at the battalion, brigade, and group level, culminating with his assignment as the Commanding General of the 78th Division (TS).
He was recalled to active duty in 2008 and selected to serve as the Chief, Office of Security Cooperation in Baghdad, Iraq. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Chief of Staff, North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northern Command and on the Joint Staff as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Reserve Matters.
As a civilian, Lieutenant General Luckey is a litigation partner in the firm of Blanco Tackabery & Matamoros P.A., located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As a partner of the firm, he concentrates his practice on a mixture of criminal, domestic and environmental matters in both State and Federal courts. He is admitted to practice law in an array of jurisdictions to include the Supreme Court of the United States.
Having served in a variety of theaters with three combat tours, his awards, badges and decorations are consistent with those of most Soldiers who have had the honor to serve the United States over a period of decades and the good fortune to return safely home.
He's blissfully married to a Tar Heel, his wife Julie from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Lieutenant General (Retired) R. Steven Whitcomb
Commanding General, Third Army, U.S. Army Central Command
Lieutenant General Whitcomb was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from the University of Virginia. He served in his first assignment as a rifle and weapons platoon leader in Company C, 2d Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne), 82d Airborne Division. His first Platoon Sergeant was Sergeant First Class Richard Sikes.
Branch transferring to Armor, his initial assignments included Commander, Company B, 2d and then 3rd Battalion, 64th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division. First Sergeant Jones served as the company’s First Sergeant. Following company command, he served as Assistant Professor of Military Science, California University of Pennsylvania.
Next assigned to the Republic of Korea, LTG Whitcomb served as S3, 524th Military Intelligence Battalion. Posted to Fort Hood, Texas he served as Deputy G2, 2d Armored Division, and then S3 and XO, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor, as well as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood.
His next assignment was in Germany where he commanded the, 2d Battalion, 70th Armor, 1st Armored Division, deploying the battalion to combat in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The Battalion Command Sergeant Major was Command Sergeant Major Broughton. After battalion command, he served as a staff officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Headquarters Department of the Army.
LTG Whitcomb served as Commander, 2d Brigade, 24th Infantry Division, with elements of the brigade deploying to Somalia and Haiti. Command Sergeants Major Ben Palacios and Joseph John served with him. His follow-on was a second tour at Headquarters, Department of the Army as a director in Force Development followed by service as Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff, Army.
After completing his tour of duty at Headquarters, Department of the Army, LTG Whitcomb assumed the duties of Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, deploying with elements of the Division to Bosnia, followed by an assignment as Deputy Commanding General, Fort Knox, Kentucky with Command Sergeant Major Christian.
During his second tour of duty in the Republic of Korea, LTG Whitcomb served as the C3/J3, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea, and Deputy Commanding General, Eighth United States Army.
He was again reassigned to Fort Knox, Kentucky where he served as the Commander, U.S. Army Armor Center-Command Sergeants Major Christian and then Gainey served as part of the command team. In January 2003, he was assigned to US Central Command, serving as the Chief of Staff, CENTCOM during OIF and OEF.
LTG Whitcomb assumed command of Third Army, US Army Central, on October 13, 2004-there he served with Command Sergeant Major Ashe.
On February 14, 2008, LTG Whitcomb was appointed the 63d The Inspector General of the Army, serving with Sergeant Major Henry Jackson.
LTG Whitcomb retired from active duty service on 13 August 2010.
LTG Whitcomb’s education includes the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Counter Intelligence Officer Course, the Armor Advance Course, Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. His civilian education includes a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in History from the University of Virginia and a Masters Degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania.
Lieutenant General Whitcomb and his beloved wife have two daughters.
Lieutenant General (Retired) Charles N. Pede
Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army
Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede graduated from The University of Virginia receiving a comission through R.O.T.C. He thereafter attended the University of Virginia Law School. Lieutenant General Pede holds a LL.M in Military Law and a Masters Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He attended the Judge Advocate Officer Basic and Graduate Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Lieutenant General Pede most recently served as the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations at Headquarters, Department of the Army in the Pentagon, Washington, DC. His previous assignments include: Trial Defense Counsel, Mannheim Field Office, Germany; Chief, Criminal Law, and Chief, Administrative & International Law, 21st Theatre Army Area Command, Mannheim, Germany and Army Forces-Turkey; Chief, Military Justice, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York and OPERATION RESTORE HOPE, Mogadishu, Somalia; Professor of Law, Criminal Law Department, The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School, Charlottesville, Virginia; Assignments Officer, Officer of The Judge Advocate General; Assistant Executive Officer, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Washington DC; Staff Judge Advocate, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York and Joint Task Force Mountain and Combined Joint Task Force-180, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Baghdad, Iraq; Chief, Criminal Law Division, Office of The Judge Advocate General; Executive Officer to The Judge Advocate General of the Army, Washington, DC; Commander, United States Army Legal Services Agency and Chief Judge, United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Commander of the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Lieutenant General Pede's awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Meritorious Service Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters. He is also entitled to wear the Parachutist Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge.
Lieutenant General Pede is married and has one son.
