Tyson Walsh

Tyson Walsh entered the Army in June 2008 and has served with the 4th Infantry Division and the 10th Mountain Division during Operation Enduring Freedom, including tours at Fort Carson and Fort Polk. He earned his first Purple Heart in 2010 following a dismounted IED attack.

He was awarded a second Purple Heart in 2013 after being wounded in hand‑to‑hand combat. During the attack Walsh was exercising alone on the inside perimeter road of his coalition base, just before sunrise, when he found an insurgent trying to sneak through a gate. Unarmed and alone, Walsh engaged and neutralized the insurgent in hand-to-hand combat, killing him, only to be seriously wounded by a second insurgent who came, too late, to rescue the first. His actions uncovered a major plan to do harm on the base.

Along with his two Purple Hearts, LTC Walsh received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, additional subordinate decorations, and the Merchant Mariner Expeditionary Award from the Secretary of Transportation.

Married with two children, LTC Walsh continues to serve on active duty. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Data Science at William & Mary and will teach mathematics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point beginning in 2027. Walsh is deeply engaged in his community. He is active in his church at Grace Pointe in Virginia, a mathematician, a professional musician, a dedicated oil painter, and a committed volunteer supporting veterans through organizations such as the VA and the Objective Zero Foundation.