South Philly Review

There is personal service, professional service and then the type of service that spans all aspects of life. For Walt Lord, originally from Second and Ritner streets, service is something he lives every day.

“I’ve been in the [Pennsylvania] Army National Guard, full-time Army National Guard, for 20 years now,” Lord, 45, said.

The officer recently was promoted to brigadier general, one of his military branch’s distinguished ranks, at a ceremony Aug. 27. The process began with a nomination then moved to a Senate review panel; a federal Army review; a Pentagon review; a White House approval from the president; and finally a required confirmation from the U.S. Senate. Lord’s promotion packet began two years ago.

“You have to go before the Senate and testify why you are qualified for the position,” he said. “I guess the question that really stuck with me was the first I was asked … The chair asked me, ‘What is your outlook on leadership?’ And the things I told her were most important to me [that is] leadership by example — you have to always be willing to do the things you tell others to do — a selfless leader and one who looks out for others more than your own interests.”

Lord’s answers struck the right chord, culminating with last week’s ceremonial promotion. In attendance were former and current colleagues, family and friends — about 350 in all.

“The way our adjutant general, Gen. Wright, does it, is she brings up the topic with you and says, ‘I want this to be your day and I want you to do it the way you want to do it,’” Lord, who serves under Jessica Wright and who was nominated by her, said. “Some officers really go for pomp and circumstance and fanciness in their ceremony. I took the simple approach.”

Lord had a chaplain deliver the invocation and a few spoke of his accomplishments and character. He also made sure to incorporate the most important people in his life.

“[At the ceremony, they] take off the old rank and put on the new rank and you get to choose the people to do it, who is special to you. Gen. Wright did one and my wife, Grace, did the other shoulder.

“And under the dress-blue jacket we have a shirt with rank on the shoulders. And I did what I saw someone do once and what I’ve done at every other promotional ceremony. I had my two sons do those,” Lord said of Ryan, 19, and Drew, 16.

The honor is one Lord boasts little about, instead wondering at the fact he has achieved so much through his unwavering commitment.

“I felt overwhelmed, actually. It’s a humbling experience when so many people come out to share in that kind of event with you,” Lord said. “You hope you’ve made an impact and they might want to see that and you see so many people come through the door. It really is overwhelming.”

Lord’s father still lives at Philip and Ritner streets, in Pennsport, where Lord grew up. Attending Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 2319 S. Third St., and St. John Neumann, formerly at 2600 Moore St., Lord was interested in joining the military for “as long as I can remember.

“My family doesn’t really have a military history or background. I just knew I was always going to be in the Army,” Lord, whose son Ryan is in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, said. “It was just the sense of service and patriotism. Lots of kids watched military shows and movies and it sparked an interest in me.”

Upon graduating from high school, Lord entered Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he agreed to two years of school and ROTC training while committing to finishing his bachelor’s at another institution upon graduation. When he left Valley Forge as a commander second lieutenant, he finished his bachelor’s in criminal justice at La Salle University.

“I went to work for a year at Mobil Oil, the gas station company. I managed a station in Camden,” Lord, who returned to Pennsport when he was at La Salle, said. “I realized my heart wasn’t in that. I went to General Electric and was an instructor on a tank simulator … I’d instruct [National Guard members] on a tank simulator on how to hit targets.

“After that I came in to full-time service with the National Guard.”

His service — which, since he enlisted at 17, has spanned 28 years — has taken him across the states and beyond. Eleven years were spent working for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., spending about two years on projects in Germany and Belgium, respectively, all while starting a family.

“My sons consider themselves from Philadelphia although they have never lived there. They moved us around quite a bit for those 11 years. In fact, one of them lived in three states and two European countries before his fifth birthday,” Lord said. “We had moved to [northern] Virginia and I had the offer to come home and I wanted to make sure I talked to the family about it, see what they thought.