Earlier this month, retired Lt. Col. Jerry Wood, director of the WVU Center for Veteran, Military and Family Programs, was selected to serve as a member of an advisory council by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff.
Gen. James C. McConville appointed Wood as a four-year member of his Retired Soldier Council. The 14-member council convenes virtually several times throughout the year and in person each April at the Pentagon to address issues and concerns brought forward from the nearly 1.1 million retired soldiers and surviving spouses from around the world.
Wood’s appointment comes as a nomination from Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, the Adjutant General of West Virginia, and honors his service as a founding member and co-chair of the West Virginia Retired Military Council, which was formally established in November, 2020. The WVRMC serves to voice the needs and concerns of retired service members throughout West Virginia to General Crane, his leadership team, and the Department of the Army.
The council serves as a vital conduit between all retired service members regardless of their branch of service, their surviving spouses and family members, and the military they served. An official Department of the Army organization, this is the first council in the nation to establish as a state charter under National Guard authority and leadership.
Previously, all Retired Soldier Councils only existed on active duty installations located around the world aligning with active duty command structure and support. The WVRMC construct and charter are now being reviewed by the Department of the Army as a model council for other states to emulate across the country.
Since his retirement from the Army in 2017 and joining WVU in 2018, Wood has worked to develop a multitude of programs supporting veteran and military connected students on all of WVU’s campuses while strategically focusing on program development, student growth, and state-wide veteran initiatives in support of the University’s land-grant mission. Through his efforts along with the entire team of dedicated professionals that make up the WVU Center for Veteran, Military and Family Programs, WVU has risen in national rankings from unranked in 2018 to the 40th best college for military and veteran students according to Military Times’ most recent rankings.
The Mountaineer Bunker located in the Morgantown campus Mountainlair serves as the base of operations for the Center and aims to assist military-connected students in achieving academic, personal and professional success through their educational benefits and activities that promote learning and well-being.