H. Steven Blum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| H Steven Blum | |
|---|---|
| Born October 13, 1947 | |
 Lieutenant General H Steven Blum |
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| Place of birth | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1971-present |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | 29th Infantry Division (Light) |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Meritorious Service Medal (2) Army Commendation Medal (1) |
Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, USA, is the current Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command where he concurrently serves as Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command. Blum previously served as the 25th Chief of the National Guard Bureau from April 11, 2003 to November 17, 2008. He assumed his current assignment on January 16, 2009.
As Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command, Blum helps lead the command to anticipate, prepare, and respond to threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests within the assigned area of responsibility and, as directed by the President or Secretary of Defense, provide defense support of civil authorities including consequence management operations.
As Chief, National Guard Bureau, Blum was the senior uniformed National Guard of the United States officer responsible for formulating, developing, and coordinating all policies, programs, and plans affecting more than half a million federalized and nonfederalized Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel. Appointed by the President, he serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all National Guard issues. As National Guard Bureau Chief, he serves as the Army's and Air Force's official channel of communication with state governors and Adjutants General concerning state National Guards. Prior to serving as Chief, National Guard Bureau, Blum served as Chief of Staff, U.S. Northern Command.
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[edit] Early life
Blum was born on October 13, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Forest Park High School, graduating in 1963. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Baltimore in 1968. Soon after graduating, Blum enlisted in the Maryland National Guard as a part-timer. His unit was almost immediately activated in response to riots that flared up in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Of this time, Blum would later recall that "he heard more shots fired in the weeks he worked downtown Baltimore's streets than during any of his other deployments - at home or abroad."[1]
For a short time, Blum taught U.S. History at Pimlico Junior High School before a full-time slot with the Guard became available in 1971. He received a Master's degree in Social Science from Morgan State College in 1973.
[edit] Military career
Blum received his commission from Officer Candidate School on August 28, 1971, graduating with honors. Since then, he has commanded at every level, including a Special Forces Operational Detachment-A, a Light Infantry Battalion, an Infantry Brigade, a Division Support Command, and twice as the Commanding General of the 29th Infantry Division (Light), MNG. Prior to this, Blum also served as Assistant Adjutant General for the Maryland Army National Guard, and Assistant Division Commander (Support), for the 29th ID. General Blum also served as the Commanding General for Multinational Division (North) Stabilization Force 10 in Operation Joint Forge, Bosnia Herzegovina in 2001.
During his tenure at SFOR, Blum received high marks for his military and diplomatic ability to command and coordinate multiple units of various nations. In his last work, To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian, the late historian Steven Ambrose compared Blum favorably to Dwight Eisenhower in 1945 when the latter was also 55 years old.[2]
[edit] Controversy
On July 18, 2006, Blum made controversial remarks about atheist and agnostic soldiers while addressing an NAACP convention. Blum said "Agnostics, atheists and bigots suddenly lose all that when their life is on the line....Something that they lived their whole life believing gets thrown out the door, and they grasp the comrade next to them, and they don’t care what color their skin is, and they don’t care when they pray".[3] Atheists and agnostics objected to Blum's equating their lack of religious belief to bigotry and his paraphrased repetition of the "no atheists in foxholes" assertion. Several atheist organizations complained and called for an apology.[4] Additionally, several soldiers filed formal equal opportunity complaints and at least one officer resigned his commission over Blum's alleged bigotry and alleged illegal handling of formal EO complaints.[5][6] Blum never apologized for his remarks and the Department of the Army Inspector Generals Office concluded that "Blum's remarks, though perhaps insensitive, did not rise to the level of an offense".[7]
[edit] Education
1968 University of Baltimore, Bachelor of Arts, History, Baltimore, Maryland
1973 Morgan State College, Master of Science, Social Science, Baltimore, Maryland
1989 U.S. Army War College
[edit] Assignments
- August 1971 - September 1972, S-3, Detachment B3, Company B, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Maryland Army National Guard
- October 1972 - August 1974, Air Operations Officer, Headquarters Detachment, 5th Special Forces Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Maryland Army National Guard
- August 1974 - August 1976, Battalion S-2, Headquarters Detachment, 5th Special Forces Battalion, 20th Special Forces, Maryland Army National Guard
- September 1976 - November 1977, Recruiting and Retention Officer, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard
- November 1977 - August 1978, Commander, Special Forces Operations Detachment-A, Company B, 5th Special Forces Battalion, 20th Special Forces, Maryland Army National Guard
- September 1978 - October 1978, Recruiting and Retention Officer, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard
- October 1978 - June 1981, Special Forces Operations Officer, Command and Control, Headquarters, Maryland Army National Guard
- July 1981 - September 1981, Marksmanship Program Administrator, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard
- October 1981 - September 1982, Training Administrator, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard
- October 1982 - November 1984, Director Plans, Operations and Training, Headquarters, State Area Command, Maryland Army National Guard
- December 1984 - July 1985, Mobilization Operations Officer, Headquarters, State Area Command, Maryland Army National Guard
- August 1985 - September 1987, Battalion Commander, Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard
- October 1987 - October 1988, Executive Officer, Headquarters, 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard
- November 1988 - January 1989, Operations and Training Officer, Headquarters, State Area Command, Maryland Army National Guard
- January 1989 - August 1992, Director, Plans, Operations, and Training, Headquarters, Maryland Army National Guard
- September 1992 - July 1995, Commander, 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard
- July 1995 - August 1996, Commander, Division Support Command, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard
- August 1996 - July 1999, Assistant Division Commander, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard
- August 1999 - October 2001, Commanding General, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Virginia Army National Guard
- October 2001 - April 2002, Commanding General, Multi National Division (North), Stabilization Force 10, Operation Joint Force, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- April 2002 - August 2002, Commanding General, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Virginia Army National Guard
- August 2002 - April 2003, Chief of Staff, United States Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- April 2003 - November 2008, Chief, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia
- January 2009 - present, Deputy Commander, United States Northern Command and Vice Commander, United States Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
[edit] Major awards and decorations
[edit] Effective dates of promotion
2nd Lieutenant ARNG 28 August 1971
1st Lieutenant ARNG 28 August 1972
Captain ARNG 3 September 1974
Major ARNG 8 September 1978
Lieutenant Colonel ARNG 1 October 1982
Colonel ARNG 3 January 1989
Brigadier General (LINE) ARNG 1 August 1996
Major General (LINE) ARNG 1 February 2000
Lieutenant General (LINE) ARNG 13 April 2003
[edit] References
- ^ Caitlin Harrington, "Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum commands a changing National Guard," Congressional Quarterly (October 10, 2003).
- ^ MSG Bob Haskell, "Blum new Guard Bureau chief," Army News Service, (April 16, 2003).
- ^ Rudi Williams, "General Praises NAACP for Making National Guard Better," Armed Forces Press Service (July 19, 2006).
- ^ "National Guard Official Needs to Apologize for “Agnostics, Atheists, Bigots” Slur at NAACP Convention!," (archived) American Atheists (July 19, 2006).
- ^ Wayne Adkins, "Atheist National Guard Officer Resigns Commission Over Remarks Made By Lt. Gen. Blum and Others," American Chronicle (November 30, 2006).
- ^ Wayne Adkins, "Documentation of Army Discrimination against Atheists" Personal blog. Accessed on July 11, 2009.
- ^ Citation needed
[edit] External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by MG Raymond F. Rees (acting) |
Chief of the National Guard Bureau 2003 - 2008 |
Succeeded by GEN Craig R. McKinley |
