Lieutenant Colonel Joe Weaver military career spans 27 years of special operations service. His assignments include Commander for the 111th M.P. Company with the 101st Air Assault Division; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Detachment Commander for the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion; Knoxville, Tennessee; Chief for Public Safety and Force Protection Tactical Response Team for 360th Civil Affairs Brigade; Columbia South Carolina; Deputy G-3 for Plans, Operations, & Training for the 352th Civil Affairs Command; College Park, Maryland.

Weaver’s military tours include Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia; Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia; Operation Just Cause in Afghanistan; and most recently Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

While in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Weaver’s principle tasks were threefold:

1. Plan and coordinate all Civil Affairs activities for ~5,500 troops in the Theater of Operations with U.S. and Allied Forces, as well as, civilian agencies and select indigenous personnel.
2. Assess the degree of battle damage, determine prevailing mood of the populace, and develop and implement strategies for immediate and sustained humanitarian relieve.
3. Ensure that the Civil Affairs stabilization philosophy within Theater of Operations underscores the military and political objectives of the U.S. Commander.

Weaver’s awards and decorations include the Army Bronze Star Medal, Army Legion of Merit, the Army Expeditionary Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. Most recently Weaver received a Citation for Outstanding Citizenry from the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Weaver has been an employee of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 25 years and currently is the manager of the Operational Safety Services Division’s Respiratory Protection Program. Weaver holds both a Master’s and Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Tennessee. He and his wife Phyllis are the proud parents of a 3 year old daughter, Maya.