Leaders

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Assistant Surgeon General Force Projection

Brigadier General John L. Poppe is the 25th Chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps.  He also currently serves as the Assistant Surgeon General (Force Projection) representing The Surgeon General at the Pentagon and other venues.

Brigadier General Poppe received a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 1981 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1986 from Washington State University.  He attended Tulane University receiving a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

Brigadier General Poppe was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the US Army Veterinary Corps in 1987.  His military tours include Chief, Northern New England Veterinary Service, Brunswick Naval Air Station, Maine; Chief, Animal Medicine and Team B, 106th Medical Detachment (VS), Yongsan, Korea; Chief, Food Safety and Team C, 106th Medical Detachment (VS), Yongsan, Korea; Team Leader, 34th Medical Detachment (VS), Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; Commander, 73d Medical Detachment (VS), Fort Lewis, Washington; Small Group Leader, Army Medical Department Officer’s Advanced Course, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Chief, Food Protection Branch and 91R Course, Department of Veterinary Science, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Commander, 248th Medical Detachment (VS)(Abn), Fort Bragg; Commander, Southern California District Veterinary Command, San Diego; Deputy Chief/Corps Specific Branch Proponent Officer, US Army Veterinary Corps, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Commander, Pacific Regional Veterinary Command, Hawaii; and Chief, Department of Veterinary Science, Fort Sam Houston.

Brigadier General Poppe's military education includes the Army Medical Department’s Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, Army Command and General Staff College, and the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island earning a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.

Brigadier General Poppe's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (4th Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), Air Force Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Liberation of Kuwait Medal-Kuwait, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Meritorious Unit Award, Expert Field Medical Badge, US Army Parachutist Badge, German Army Parachutist Badge, Order of Military Medical Merit, and the Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator for Veterinary Preventive Medicine.