To celebrate Veterans Day, EM highlights former service members who have joined EM on their journey in civilian work-life.
Name and what you do at EM?
Tim Walsh, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management.
Tell us about your military journey — branch, years served and duty stations:
After attending West Point and Ranger School, I served eight years in the U.S. Army. I was first stationed in Germany where I led a platoon of combat engineers during the Reagan Cold War buildup. Later, I was stationed in Turkey overseeing the construction of facilities for the U.S. Air Force. My final active-duty assignment was commanding a company of paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the first Gulf War.
Most memorable event/moment during your service?
There were many. I am proud of having the mental and physical fortitude to excel at Ranger school — the Army’s toughest leadership school. It taught me to lead under extreme physical and mental stress coupled with sleep and food deprivation. I’m also extremely proud of leading a company of paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm — we trained like we fought and became a well-oiled, high-performing team. My philosophy was simple — discipline wins wars. My mantra was, “Go hard or go home.” I loved the soldiers in my unit, and they looked out for each other to ensure we executed our missions safely and aggressively to bring everyone home. I also enjoyed mentoring younger officers and soldiers so they could become better at their jobs and leading. It brings me joy seeing the younger soldiers that worked for me advance their careers and going on to accomplish amazing things.
How has your military service helped prepare you for the job you do in EM?
I have a deep love of our country and a steadfast commitment to serving the American people. The motto that I learned in the Army that I live by is, “No mission too great, no task too hard.” I view problems as opportunities to use creativity and ingenuity to solve. My military experience taught me that true leaders earn respect through leading by example: doing the right thing, having integrity, being positive, being a hard worker and caring for others. It also requires being a coach and mentor to others to bring out the best in people. To be a good leader also means to start by listening and getting input from each team member before making decisions. You can’t accomplish any mission on your own — it takes a diverse team empowered to make decisions and take ownership. I impressed on my teams to take initiative and to own their responsibilities — be accountable and always strive to do things better. We learn from our mistakes and celebrate our successes. My job is to set the vision and strategy and then unleash our talented team to execute the strategy using their creativity and skills to get the job done. I’m happiest when I can acknowledge the accomplishments of those who make a difference.
When did you begin working for EM and what got you interested in the cleanup mission?
I am in my third week on the job. When Secretary Wright asked me to serve, I heard that leading EM was not an easy job, but I welcomed the challenge. As I learned more about what EM does, it seemed like a natural fit — solving hard problems, building communities, delivering complex projects and serving the American people. I look forward to leading EM into a new chapter full of opportunities to do great things for local communities and for our nation. We are truly at the precipice of a new era of a nuclear renaissance and a transformative AI-driven economy that EM will be leading.
