(CNSNews.com) - Retired Army Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin--an original member of Delta Force who went on to be the top commander of the Green Berets and then deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence--has joined the Family Research Council, where he says he now hopes to do his part in helping Americans who believe in this nation’s traditional values win an intensifying “culture war” for its future.
“As I have gotten older, I have discovered it is no longer about me, it’s about my grandchildren,” Gen. Boykin said on Thursday, as the FRC announced he was joining the organization as executive vice president.
The general said he and his wife talked about the future of the country when they spent some time with their grandchildren during the Christmas season. That discussion, and the concerns he and his wife share about what sort of nation their grandchildren will live in, inspired him to enlist with the FRC.
“Is it going to be our generation that gives their future away? Or is it going to be our generation that preserves their future,” Boykin said of America’s grandchildren.
“I don’t think there is any other institution that has had greater impact than the Family Research Council,” he said.
“For my wife and me, it is a very serious commitment,” the 64-year-old retired officer said of his decision to join the FRC.
Boykin was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1971 after graduating from Virginia Tech. By 2003, he had ascended to the rank of lieutenant general. He served as an original member of Delta Force and commanded that force in combat operations. From 1998-2000, he was commanding general of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Command; and from 2000-2003, commanding general of the U.S. Army’s Special Warfare Center and School. From 2003-2007, he served with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence.
During his service, Boykin was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
Boykin and his wife Ashley have five children as well as what his FRC biography describes as a “growing number of grandchildren.” When he retired from the Army in 2007, he was ordained a minister.
He will work for FRC President Tony Perkins in managing day-to-day operations for the organization as well as in plotting strategy on policy issues.
“As the culture war in America intensifies, I think we need some strategy,” Boykin said. “So, long-term strategy is the first issue.”
The Family Research Council has been on the front lines of cultural and policy battles over preserving the sanctity of life, bioethics, maintaining the integrity of the family and the institution of marriage, and preserving religious liberty. It has exposed abuses of religious liberty even in the U.S. military.
Boykin said the he believes the strong and effective action the FRC has taken in defending traditional values makes it a prominent target for an antagonistic media.
“Considering the impact the Family Research Council has had on the integrity of the American family, I think the pressure on the Family Research Council and the criticism of the Family Research Council will increase,” he said.
Speaking of FRC President Tony Perkins, the general said: “He needs some grizzled old people around him who will not be deterred by the criticism of the media.”
