Brigadier General John Poppe retired at the end of 2015 as the 25th Chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps after serving 28 years as a veterinarian in the Army. Dr. Poppe received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) degree from Washington State University, a Master’s in Public Health (M.P.H.) from Tulane University, and a Master’s of Strategic Studies (M.A.) from the U.S. Naval War College. He also received the prestigious American Veterinary Medical Association’s Meritorious Service award in 2020.

Dr. Poppe spent his career taking care of military family-owned pets,
government owned animals that range from military working dogs to
ceremonial horses, and even marine mammals as well as ensuring
food safety for all services within the Department of Defense and
many other federal agencies. During his career he was stationed in
Korea, Turkey, and across the United States to include a tour in the
Pentagon where he served as the Army Assistant Surgeon General and
assisted with the writing of the Army policy on Service Animals for
Wounded Warriors.

Originally from Washington state, he and his family retired in San
Antonio, Texas (USA) where he serves as the, Chairman of the Military
Affairs Committee of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Dr. Poppe
also functions as Executive Director of the American Veterinary One
Health Society (AVOHS), formerly the American Veterinary
Epidemiology Society (AVES). He is Immediate Past President of the
Uniformed Veterinary Medicine Association which raises funds for
replacement horses for the Fort Sam Houston Caisson Unit. He enjoys
conducting Wounded Warrior hunts and sailing the coast of Texas with
his wife as Skipper.

John and his wife Denise and their three children Jane, George, and
Hollis have traveled the world with their pets which currently includes
their cat “Tati”.