H . Steven Blum H Steven Blum ( born October 13 , 1946 ) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General . Blum served as the 25th Chief of the National Guard Bureau from 2003 to 2008 . His last assignment before retiring was Deputy Commander , U . S . Northern Command , where he concurrently served as Vice Commander , U . S . Element , North American Aerospace Defense Command . He retired from the Army and the National Guard on May 21 , 2010 . Early life and education . Blum was born in Baltimore , Maryland on October 13 , 1946 . He attended Forest Park High School , graduating in 1963 . He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Baltimore in 1968 . Soon after graduating , Blum enlisted in the Maryland National Guard . His unit was activated in response to riots that flared up in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King , Jr . Blum would later recall that " he heard more shots fired in the weeks he worked downtown Baltimore ' s streets than during any of his other deployments - at home or abroad . " Blum taught U . S . History at Pimlico Junior High School before a accepting a full - time position with the National Guard in 1971 . He received a Master of Science degree in social science from Morgan State College in 1973 . Blum is Jewish , and is a member of Jewish War Veterans . Career . Blum received his commission from Officer Candidate School on August 28 , 1971 , graduating with honors . He subsequently carried out staff and command assignmemnts at every level from platoon to division , including command of a Special Forces Operational Detachment - A , Light Infantry Battalion , Infantry Brigade , and Division Support Command . His general officer assignments included Assistant Adjutant General for the Maryland Army National Guard , Assistant Division Commander ( Support ) and Commander of the 29th Infantry Division ( Light ) , and Chief of Staff , United States Northern Command . Operation Joint Forge . Blum served as Commanding General for Multinational Division ( North ) Stabilization Force 10 in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2001 and 2002 as part of Operation Joint Forge . During his tenure at SFOR , Blum received high marks for his military and diplomatic ability to command and coordinate multiple units of various nations . In his last work , " To America : Personal Reflections of an Historian " , the late historian Steven Ambrose compared Blum favorably to Dwight Eisenhower in World War II . Chief of the National Guard Bureau . In April , 2003 Blum was appointed Chief of the National Guard Bureau and promoted to Lieutenant General . When his term expired in 2007 he received a two - year extension . As Chief , National Guard Bureau , Blum was the senior uniformed National Guard officer , responsible for formulating , developing , and coordinating all policies , programs , and plans affecting more than half a million federalized and nonfederalized Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel . Appointed by the President , he served as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and Chief of Staff of the Army , and the United States Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all National Guard issues . His duties also included serving as the Army ' s and Air Force ' s official channel of communication with state governors and Adjutants General concerning the 54 state and territorial National Guards . He served as Chief until November , 2009 and was succeeded by Craig R . McKinley . United States Northern Command . Following his term as Chief of the National Guard Bureau , Blum was assigned as Deputy Commander of the United States Northern Command . As Deputy Commander , United States Northern Command , Blum helped lead the command to anticipate , prepare , and respond to threats and aggression aimed at the United States , its territories , and interests within the assigned area of responsibility and , as directed by the President or Secretary of Defense , provided defense support to civil authorities including consequence management operations . He served at NORTHCOM until retiring in May , 2010 . Later work . After his retirement from the military , Blum accepted a position as managing director and group practice leader with the Sitrick Brincko Group . He was also an Executive in Residence at The Johns Hopkins University , School of Education , Division of Public Safety and Leadership . As of 2012 , Blum is affiliated with Blakely Educational Services , Inc . , a firm which provides educational services to the United States military , its allies , and for other organizations . NAACP Meritorious Service Award . On July 18 , 2006 , Blum was awarded the NAACP Meritorious Service Award at their 31st annual Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Awards banquet . Some atheists and agnostics objected to certain remarks about their lack of religious belief , and his paraphrased repetition of the " no atheists in foxholes " assertion . According to Blum in his remarks : " The strength of this nation is that it ' s not homogeneous . We don ' t all look alike . We don ' t all think alike . We don ' t all play alike . We don ' t all have the same physical attributes . " Military education . In addition , Blum is a graduate of :