Walter E. Piatt

While a colonel (brigade commander, 25th Infantry Division), Piatt's unit had some 200 volunteers participate in a mindfulness study by Amishi Jha and Elizabeth Stanley in the 2010s;{{Cite web|url=https://www.army.mil/article/248706/being_mindful_improves_readiness_says_director_of_army_staff|title=Being 'mindful' improves readiness, says director of Army Staff|website=www.army.mil}} the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences notes that this mental practice "teaches the brain to stay 'in the moment'" which helps soldiers reduce the pain and stress of PTSD. The project is known as the STRONG Project (Schofield Barracks Training and Research on Neurobehavioral Growth).{{cite web |last=Russell |first=Elizabeth |website=mindful.org |title=Bringing Mindfulness into the Military |url=https://www.mindful.org/where-mindfulness-meets-warrior-culture/ |date=February 26, 2016 |access-date=2024-06-11}}

Piatt also incorporates mindfulness into his professional life. While commander of coalition forces in Iraq, Piatt regularly engaged in mindfulness practices such as meditation and breathing exercises. In an interview with the New York Times, he emphasized that mindfulness is crucial for understanding the practical benefits of compassion and empathy.{{cite web |last=Richtel |first=Matt |website=The New York Times |title=The Latest in Military Strategy: Mindfulness |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/05/health/military-mindfulness-training.html |date=April 5, 2019 |access-date=2024-06-11}}

On August 30, 2022, Piatt spoke at The American Legion 103rd National Convention at the Milwaukee Center in Milwaukee. He spoke about his service in Afghanistan, army enlistment trends, and "Be the One," which is The American Legion's new veteran suicide prevention campaign.{{cite web |last=Richardson |first=Cameran |website=The American Legion |title=Army Lt. Gen. Piatt: ‘Let’s commit to Be the One’ |url=https://www.legion.org/convention/256743/army-lt-gen-piatt-%E2%80%98let%E2%80%99s-commit-be-one%E2%80%99 |date=August 30, 2022 |access-date=2024-06-11}}

Walter E. Piatt wrote She Came to the Door to Wave Good-bye ...: A Soldier's Thoughts About Family, Life and the War in Afghanistan, published in January 2003. The book reflects on his personal experiences and the impact of military service on his family and life.{{cite book |last=Piatt |first=Walter E. |title=She Came to the Door to Wave Good-bye ...: A soldier's thoughts about family, life and the war in Afghanistan |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/921111.She_Came_to_the_Door_to_Wave_Good_bye_ |date=2003 |isbn=9781403395122}}

In January 2006, Piatt published Paktika: The Story of the 2nd Battalion 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds" in Paktika, Afghanistan, which combines short prose passages with poetry to recount the experiences and emotional challenges faced by the Wolfhounds during their deployment in Paktika.{{cite book |last=Piatt |first=Walter E. |title=Paktika: The Story of the 2nd Battalion 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds" in Paktika, Afghanistan |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2747639-paktika |date=2006 |isbn=9781424125135}}

Prior to January 6, 2021, Pentagon officials repeatedly asked city and federal officials if they needed assistance from the D.C. National Guard, but only the Mayor of Washington, D.C. requested assistance from 340 unarmed service members.{{cite web |last1=Marquardt |first1=Alex |last2=Starr |first2=Barbara |title=Pentagon approves DC mayor's request to deploy National Guard for upcoming demonstrations |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/politics/muriel-bowser-dc-national-guard-protests/index.html |website=CNN.com}}{{cite web |last1=Department of Defense |first1=Public Affairs |title=Planning and Execution Timeline for the National Guard's Involvement in the January 6, 2021 Violent Attack at the U.S. Capitol |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2467051/planning-and-execution-timeline-for-the-national-guards-involvement-in-the-janu/ |website=Defense.gov |publisher=DOD}} At approximately 2:20 p.m. on January 6, LTG Piatt joined a phone call with Washington, D.C. leaders, Capitol Police leaders, the D.C. National Guard, and others as the riot at the Capitol was unfolding.{{cite web |last1=Department of Defense |first1=Public Affairs |title=On Behalf of the U.S. Army: Statement on the National Guard Response in the District of Columbia From the Secretary of the Army |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2466547/on-behalf-of-the-us-army-statement-on-the-national-guard-response-in-the-distri/ |website=Defense.gov |publisher=DOD |access-date=February 25, 2021}} The Hill reported that Piatt said on the call that Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy was meeting with Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller to seek approval of the request for assistance. He also explained that he was not the decision maker and that no one was denying the request for assistance.{{cite web |last1=Coleman |first1=Justine |title=Director of Army Staff disputes Capitol Police chief account of National Guard deployment" |url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/533747-director-of-army-staff-disputes-capitol-police-chief-account-of-national-guard |website=The Hill |date=11 January 2021 |access-date=February 25, 2021}} The New York Times reported that during Congressional testimony on February 23, 2021, former Capitol security leaders provided conflicting accounts of the request for the National Guard, reflecting the confusion of the event and the complexity of requesting Guard assistance.{{cite web |last1=Broadwater |first1=Luke |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael S. |title=Ex-Security Officials Spread Blame for Failures of Capitol Riot |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/us/politics/capitol-riot-hearing.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=February 23, 2021}}

On January 6, 2021, during the storming of the United States Capitol and an hour and a half after the west side defensive perimeter had been breached,{{cite web|author1=Jaclyn Diaz|date=January 11, 2021|title=Ex-Capitol Police Chief Says Requests For National Guard Denied 6 Times In Riots|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/11/955548910/ex-capitol-police-chief-rebuffs-claims-national-guard-was-never-called-during-ri|access-date=January 16, 2021|publisher=NPR}} according to Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and DC National Guard leader Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, Piatt critically delayed or ignored Sund's request for National Guard support, stating, "I don't like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background," despite this being a stark contrast to the protests of the previous year.{{cite web|last1=Mazzetti|first1=Mark|last2=Cooper|first2=Helene|last3=Steinhauer|first3=Jennifer|last4=Kanno-Youngs|first4=Zolan|last5=Broadwater|first5=Luke|date=11 January 2021|title=Inside a Deadly Siege: How a String of Failures Led to a Dark Day at the Capitol|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/politics/capitol-siege-security.html|website=The New York Times}}{{cite news|last1=Leonnig|first1=Carol D.|last2=Davis|first2=Aaron C.|last3=Hermann|first3=Peter|last4=Demirjian|first4=Karoun|title=Outgoing Capitol Police chief: House, Senate security officials hamstrung efforts to call in National Guard|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sund-riot-national-guard/2021/01/10/fc2ce7d4-5384-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html|newspaper=Washington Post}} According to the Washington Post, "Piatt initially denied Sund's allegations in a statement but acknowledged in a call with reporters about two weeks later that he had conferred with others who were present that it was possible he made comments to that effect."Lamothe, Dan. [https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2022-10-29/white-house-rejects-promoting-general-capitol-riot-response-7852563.html "White House rejects promoting general involved in Capitol riot response"], Washington Post via Stars and Stripes (29 Oct 2022).

On March 8, 2021, retired Army Lt. Gen Russel Honoré, whom House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tasked with leading the security review, identified that the U.S. Capitol Police are too "understaffed, insufficiently equipped, and inadequately trained" — and woefully lacking in intelligence capabilities.

On June 15, 2021, Piatt told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that Army officials "all immediately understood the gravity of the situation" after receiving a request in a conference call for "urgent and immediate support" at the Capitol, but that they still needed to develop a plan.{{Cite news|title=Publication|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/generals-cast-military-response-to-capitol-riot-as-an-unforeseen-change-in-mission/2021/06/15/5201dcbe-ce0a-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html}} Piatt acknowledged that "those on the line were convinced that I was denying their request, despite [me] clearly stating three times that, 'We are not denying your requests. We need to prepare a plan for when the secretary of the Army gains approval….’". Piatt's statement that he did not have authority to act was supported by D.C. National Guard's commanding general, Maj. Gen. William Walker, when he said that newly installed Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy, a Trump appointee, had instituted unusual restrictions, requiring employment of the quick-reaction force to be approved by the chain of command, which prevented a rapid deployment of the D.C. National Guard.{{Cite news|title=House Cancels Thursday Session After Police Warn Of Possible Attack On Congress|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/03/973310942/capitol-police-warns-of-another-possible-right-wing-attack-on-congress|access-date=2021-03-04|newspaper=NPR|date=March 3, 2021|language=en|last1=Katkov|first1=Mark|last2=Neuman|first2=Scott}} McCarthy's approval did not come until 4:30pm. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/generals-cast-military-response-to-capitol-riot-as-an-unforeseen-change-in-mission/2021/06/15/5201dcbe-ce0a-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html

On November 16, 2021, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General released their findings on the actions that took place to prepare for and respond to protests at the U.S. Capitol.{{Cite web|title=Review of the Department of Defense's Role, Responsibilities, and Actions to Prepare for and Respond to the Protest and its Aftermath at the U.S. Capitol Campus on January 6, 2021 (DODIG-2022-039)|url=https://media.defense.gov/2021/Nov/19/2002896088/-1/-1/1/DODIG-2022-039%20V2%20508.PDF}} The report concluded that the actions the DoD took before January 6, 2021, to prepare for the planned protests in Washington, D.C., on January 5 and 6, 2021, were appropriate.{{Cite web|title='Absolute liars': Ex-D.C. Guard official says generals lied to Congress about Jan. 6|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/06/jan-6-generals-lied-ex-dc-guard-official-523777|access-date=2021-12-06|website=POLITICO|language=en}}

In early December 2021, Colonel Earl G. Matthews, a Trump appointee, released a rebuttal to the DoDIG report that accused LTG Piatt of making willful distortions of the events of January 6, describing Piatt and General Charles A. Flynn as "absolute and unmitigated liars" and of giving "perjured testimony before Congress."{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000017d-8aca-dee4-a5ff-eeda79e90000|title=The Harder Right: An Analysis of a Recent DoD Inspector General Investigation and Other Matters|website=Politico }}

Piatt was once the leading candidate to take over as the commanding general of United States Army Futures Command, and appointment to the rank of general.{{Cite web |last=Judson |first=Jen |date=2022-09-07 |title=US Army nominates new Futures Command chief |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/smr/defense-news-conference/2022/09/07/us-army-nominates-new-futures-command-chief/ |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=Military Times |language=en}} He had received the recommendation from several top defense officials. However, he was rejected by President Biden{{Cite web |last=Crosse |first=Jacod |date=2022-10-30 |title=Pentagon recommends promoting general involved in delay of National Guard to US Capitol on January 6 |url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/10/31/mkrn-o31.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=World Socialist Web Site |language=en}} due to his handling of National Guard deployment during the January 6 attacks on the Capitol.

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{{Commons category}}

• {{cite web |last1=Hoffman |first1=Jonathon |title=Update to Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman, on D.C. Guard Mobilization (January 6, 2021, retrieved February 25, 2021) |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2464497/update-to-statement-by-jonathan-hoffman-chief-pentagon-spokesman-on-dc-guard-mo/ |website=Department of Defense Public Affairs}}
• [https://www.army.mil/article/40478/broncos_bid_farewell_to_former_commander_welcome_hawaiian_native Broncos Bid Farewell to Former Commander, Welcome Hawaiian Native], Staff Sgt. Amber Robinson, 3rd BCT Public Affairs Office, June 7, 2010.
• [https://www.army.mil/article/62828/post_hails_new_chief_of_infantry Post hails new chief of Infantry], Vince Little, August 3, 2011.
• [https://www.army.mil/article/82606/armor_infantry_chiefs_depart Armor, Infantry chiefs depart], Vince Little, The Bayonet, June 27, 2012.
• [https://www.army.mil/article/106484/jmtc_welcomes_brig_gen_piatt JMTC welcomes Brig. Gen. Piatt], Denver Beaulieu-Hains, Joint Multinational Training Command Public Affairs, June 27, 2013.
• [https://www.army.mil/article/130355/us_army_europe_welcomes_new_deputy_commanding_general U.S. Army Europe welcomes new deputy commanding general], U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs, July 23, 2014.

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{{s-ttl|title=Director of the Army Staff|years=2019–2024}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatt, Walter E.}}

Category:Living people

Category:1961 births

Category:United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Category:United States Army personnel of the Iraq War

Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)

Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal

Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit

Category:United States Army generals

Category:Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania alumni