Walter R. Nall

Retired Colonel Walter R. Nall’s military career spanned from 1983 to 2016, a total of thirty-three years of service. He retired at the rank of Colonel in the New Jersey Army National Guard. Nall is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the NATO Medal. He was also awarded several Army Commendation Medals and Army Achievement Medals.

Originally from Tuskegee, Alabama, Nall enlisted in the Alabama Army National Guard during his freshman year of college at Troy State University. He recalled that his father was “disturbed” that Nall had enlisted, as he didn’t believe minorities belonged in the military, and his mother was adamant that he could not drop out of college. Nall attended Basic Training in the summer of 1983 at Fort McClellan in Alabama and returned to college soon after graduating. From then on, he pursued a criminal justice degree from Troy State while attending drill on the weekends as part of his National Guard commitment. While at drill, Nall worked as a Radio Teletype Operator before completing Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon in Georgia.

After graduating college in 1986, Nall decided to go to Officer Candidate School, which he completed at Fort McClellan. From there, as a newly commissioned officer, he attended Field Artillery School at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. Nall eventually relocated to Pennsylvania to pursue a job in New Jersey and joined the New Jersey National Guard in 1989 as a First Lieutenant. He reflected on his time in the Guard, explaining that it felt family-oriented, and there was a strong sense of camaraderie.

Additionally, Nall got the chance to give back to the community when responding to natural disasters as part of the Guard. He embraced this duty wholeheartedly, living by the motto, “be a mentor, be a leader, be a servant.”

During his time in service, Nall had two deployments to the Middle East: one to Iraq in 2005 and one to Afghanistan in 2011. In Iraq, he was a convoy commander for the 42nd Division Support Command located in Tikrit, which provided supplies to troops, including much needed body armor to Marines in Fallujah, Iraq.

Nall recalled that Iraqi Nationals working with American forces were not treated well, as they had poor living conditions on base and could not eat in the same dining facilities as American soldiers. He also emphasized that these Nationals were oftentimes in greater danger than American soldiers. Within their local communities, they could be seen as working for the enemy. Nall explained this is why it would be difficult for Iraqi Nationals to give up information, because they could be killed along with their families for collaborating with the Americans.

In Afghanistan, Nall was the Battalion Commander of the 119th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion (CSSB) which provided logistical support for Special Operation Command. He was located at Bagram Air Force Base, near Kabul. Nall was present in Afghanistan for the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, as well as the Extortion 17 Chinook helicopter crash which took the lives of thirty American soldiers, one US military dog, seven Afghan National Army soldiers, and one Afghan civilian interpreter. It was the greatest single loss of American lives during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Nall retired from the National Guard in 2016. After his retirement from the military, he held various positions in the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, including Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Services. 

Nall has shown a deep commitment to service through his time as a military officer and state official, as well as through his participation in community organizations. He is a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated and served as the President of the Delta Upsilon Chapter in Trenton. Walter Nall is also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Prince Hall Affiliated 32nd Degree Masons, and the Omega Delta Upsilon Foundation.

Additional Resources:

• Walter Nall Video Interview
• Navy Seal Museum Extortion 17
• New Jersey Globe – Walter Nall appointed acting deputy VA commissioner
  
• The Monmouth Journal – POW/MIA, Gold Star Mothers Recognition Ceremony
  
• Insider NJ – Murphy Announces Leadership Transitions at the NJ DMAVA