Gov. Tom Corbett announced he intends to nominate Major General Wesley Craig, 64, of Oreland, Montgomery County, as Adjutant General of Pennsylvania. As such, Craig will lead the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
"Major General Craig has devoted his career to serving our nation," Corbett said. "His record of exemplary leadership, along with more than 30 years of military experience, makes him an ideal choice for Adjutant General."
Craig retired in 2006 from the U.S. Army as Commanding General of the 28th Division, PA National Guard, where he was responsible for 14,000 soldiers in 85 communities in three states and oversaw a combined budget of $635 million.
Craig also oversaw the selection, organization, mobilization and deployment of more than 6,000 soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
During his career, Craig spent 11 years in senior-level command assignments: four years as the Commanding Officer of the 1-104 Armored Cavalry Squadron, four years as Commanding Officer of the 56th Brigade and three years as Commanding General of the 28th Infantry Division.
Since his retirement, Craig has served as State Chairman of the PA Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, which is a Department of Defense organization that advocates for both employers and their employees who are members of the Guard and Reserve.
Craig also serves as Chairman of the Board for the USO of Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Army War College Foundation and is an active speaker for Mission Readiness, a group that advocates for quality early childhood education.
Pennsylvania's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has a dual mission: to provide quality service to the state's veterans and their families, and to oversee and support the members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
In addition to providing resources and assistance to Pennsylvania's 1 million veterans and their families, the DMVA also provides quality care for aging and disabled veterans.
The DMVA also prepares the Pennsylvania National Guard for combat, performs worldwide combat and combat support operations, provides global reach and the projection of U.S. military power in support of national objectives; and, at the command of the governor, provides trained personnel to support state and local authorities in times of natural disaster or civil strife.
The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is one of Pennsylvania's largest employers, with more than 21,000 military and civilian personnel in more than 80 communities statewide.
Craig graduated from Temple University Army ROTC program as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1968 and graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 1993.
Craig and his wife, Marda, have been married for 36 years and have two children.
Gov. Corbett has three remaining major cabinet posts to fill: the departments of Aging, Conservation and Natural Resources and Labor & Industry.