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{{short description|United States Marine Corps general}}
{{Infobox military_person
|name= Walter E. Gaskin
|image= LtGen Walter E. Gaskin (2).jpg
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|alt=
|caption=
|order =
|nickname=
|birth_date=
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|relations=
|laterwork=
|module={{Infobox officeholder
|office = {{small|(acting)}} [[Chairman of the NATO Military Committee]]
|term_start = 18 November 2011
|term_end = 2 January 2012
|predecessor = [[Giampaolo Di Paola]]
|successor = [[Knud Bartels]]
}}
}}
'''Walter
Gaskin currently serves as an Institute for Defense and Business Executive Fellow.{{update inline|date=January 2022}} In January 2021, North Carolina Governor [[Roy Cooper]] named Gaskin the next Secretary of the [[North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs]].<ref>[https://governor.nc.gov/news/governor-names-military-and-veterans-affairs-secretary Governor Names Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary]</ref>
==Marine Corps career==
Gaskin served as the Commanding General of the [[2nd Marine Division (United States)|
Previous assignments as a General Officer include service as the Vice Director of The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. from July 2008 until May 2009 and as the Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruiting Command in Quantico, Virginia, beginning in September 2002. Additionally, he served as the Chief of Staff, Naval Striking and Support Forces-Southern Europe and as the Deputy Commanding General, Fleet Marine Forces-Europe in Naples, Italy from 2002 to 2004. Gaskin's first assignment as a General Officer was the Commanding General, Training and Education Command in Quantico in March 2000.
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In July 2023, Gaskin was implicated in the stolen valor case of Billy Zinnerman, a disgraced former PFC (E-2) that received an Other Than Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps, who had been posing as a decorated SgtMaj (E-9). Gaskin wrote a letter of recommendation for Zinnerman, in which he stated that "I've had the opportunity to witness first-hand his superior performance, bravery, and dedication to duty while in combat in Desert Storm/Desert Shield in Iraq and the Liberation of Kuwait." However, neither Gaskin, nor Zinnerman served in Iraq during Desert Storm/Desert Shield.<ref>https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d45f7a_7aa59f2f9e7c44d3901f07870fe49164~mv2.jpg</ref>
A Non-Profit Organization operating under the name [https://www.winecountrymarines.org/ The Wine Country Marines
The stolen valor case was covered by ABC7 News' I-Team Reporter Dan Noyes.
▲The stolen valor case was covered by ABC7 News' I-Team Reporter Dan Noyes. <ref>https://abc7news.com/montford-point-marine-association-marines-stolen-valor-abc7-i-team/13474859/</ref> and subsequently covered by ABC11 News Akilah Davis<ref>Stolen Valor | North Carolina military leader vouched for discredited veteran - ABC11 Raleigh-Durham</ref>, wherein she confronted LtGen Gaskin in his office about the letter. During the interaction, Gaskin admitted to writing the letter stating"Of course I wrote the letter. You saw the signature on the letter. The letter is not the issue." Gaskin went on to state that he saw Zinnerman in Kuwait when he was present to examine the aftermath of the war, however in the letter written by Gaskin, he stated that he witnessed "first-hand" Zinnerman's "superior performance, bravery and dedication to duty while in combat in Desert Storm/Desert Shield in Iraq and the Liberation of Kuwait."
In 2016, he endorsed [[Hillary Clinton]] for president.<ref>[http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/opinion/2016/08/04/hillary-clinton- walter-gaskin-marine-corps-general/88002254/ marinecorpstimes.com]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
In 2020, he endorsed [[Joe Biden]] for president.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-24 |title=More than 200 retired generals, admirals endorse Biden |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/more-200-retired-generals-admirals-endorse-biden-including-some-who-n1240842 |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
==Notes==
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