General Richard B. Myers, 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joins With Honor Action Advisory Board Amid Surge in Military Veterans Running for Office Nationwide

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With Honor Action yesterday announced that retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, who served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has joined its Advisory Board.

General Myers led the U.S. military through the earliest stages of the Global War on Terrorism. He was sworn in as Chairman on October 1, 2001, twenty days after the September 11 attacks, and held the post until his retirement in 2005. As Chairman, he was the nation's highest-ranking military officer and the principal military adviser to the President.

A command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours, including over 600 combat hours in Vietnam, General Myers served more than 40 years in the U.S. Air Force. Before becoming Chairman, he was Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and commanded U.S. Space Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Pacific Air Forces, and U.S. Forces Japan. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. After leaving uniform, he held the Colin L. Powell Chair for National Security, Leadership, Character and Ethics at the National Defense University and served as the 14th president of Kansas State University, his alma mater, from 2016 to 2022.

"General Myers led during one of the most consequential periods in our nation's history, and he did it with the courage and integrity our work depends on," said Rye Barcott, CEO and Co-Founder of With Honor Action. "His judgment will strengthen our mission to support principled veteran leadership and reduce polarization in Congress."

Barcott first met General Myers in 2001 through his undergraduate thesis advisor at UNC-Chapel Hill, Military History Professor Richard Kohn, an expert in civil-military relations who previously served as the Chief of the Air Force's historical program. Kohn knows that General Myers will add significant experience, important insights, and keen judgments that will contribute to With Honor Action's continued success.

With Honor Action previously collaborated with General Myers and his wife, Mary Jo, to provide assistance to our Afghan allies and address bipartisan national security and humanitarian concerns.

"I'm delighted to join With Honor Action as an Advisory Board member," said General Richard B. Myers, 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Their support of a bipartisan approach to problems is consistent with America's founding 250 years ago. Our founding fathers didn't always agree, but they were able to find compromise for the common good."

"Congratulations to General Myers on joining the With Honor Action Advisory Board. I was a Lieutenant Colonel and a Colonel when he served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and I've long admired his service and remarkable leadership throughout his more than forty years in uniform. He was the leader we needed as Chairman in the days immediately following the attacks of September 11th. With Honor Action will be stronger for his judgment and his character," said Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE), a Founding Co-Chair of the For Country Caucus and retired Air Force Brigadier General. "I've seen that organization's impact firsthand. As a Founding Co-Chair of the For Country Caucus, I worked alongside With Honor Action to bring veterans from both parties together and put country before party. Together we've helped pass more than 200 bipartisan laws to strengthen our national security, support our veterans, and renew a culture of national service. That work proved something I've always believed — bipartisan solutions last."

"General Richard Myers served our nation with great distinction, and I am delighted to hear that he is joining the Advisory Board of With Honor Action, an important organization that works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus of veterans in Congress," said Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), a Founding Vice Chair of the For Country Caucus, an Air Force veteran and the daughter and granddaughter of Naval aviators who flew P-3s.

General Myers joins With Honor Action amid a surge of military veterans running for Congress in all 50 states, an increase of nearly 47% over the 2024 election cycle, as well as a record number of women veteran candidates, as reported in POLITICO this morning.

General Myers joins an Advisory Board that includes the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen; former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster; former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle; 44th Surgeon General of the Army Lt. Gen. Nadja West; Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Florent Groberg; and former U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Rob Portman.

About With Honor

With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization's policy and social-welfare arm. With Honor has an affiliated federally registered "super PAC" called With Honor Fund III. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org.

Contact: Susan Forbes, [email protected] 

SOURCE With Honor Action