Col. Chad Koenig ’95
Professional Achievement, College of Nursing and Health
Colonel (COL) Chad Koenig’s 30-year career with the U.S. Army might come as a surprise to some of his ROTC friends who named him most likely to complete four years of service.
However, one opportunity led to another for COL Koenig, making him the first dietitian to hold commands at four different levels of the U.S. Army. COL Koenig retires as the Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) and U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), Deputy Chief of Staff for Force Health Protection (DCS, FHP).
He was raised in Plymouth, Wis., and started college at Viterbo as a psychology major. “After soul-searching, I changed my major to nutrition because it correlated with my passion for health and fitness,” COL Koenig explained. He joined Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to help pay for college. “Friends said I should give it a try.”
He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. “My career was a series of happy accidents,” COL Koenig said. “I was in the right place, at the right time, and with the right officer. The U.S. Army kept providing me opportunities I could not get anywhere else.”
After completing his bachelor’s degree and dietetic internship from Viterbo, COL Koenig went on to earn his MS in Nutrition and Health Sciences with a concentration in sports nutrition from Georgia State University.
He added an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA. He is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), a certified exercise physiologist, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
His interest in sports nutrition was a good fit for working with the military community and soldiers.
COL Koenig was deployed to Afghanistan in support of various research related missions for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Department of Defense (DoD) Combat Feeding, and the Institute of Medicine. For one study, they ran combat feeding field tests, where different units tried meal rations, formulated for short-term, high intensity missions.
COL Koenig is proud of research conducted for the USARIEM, including a three to five-year research study on the build-up of calcium and Vitamin D and neck stress fractures. That resulted in the creation of a performance readiness bar, formulated to help with this issue, consumed only in basic training.
He was commander (CEO) of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), the DoD’s largest biomedical research enterprise. He led the mission of countering infectious disease and brain health threats, managed more than 2,850 military service members, DA civilians, contractors, foreign service national, and interagency staff across five continents. Under COL Koenig’s leadership, WRAIR expanded its global reach. He traveled to 18 different countries in two years.
As Director for Health Services for Fort Jackson – the main production center for basic combat training – COL Koenig led efforts to determine how to continue running basic training during the COVID-19 pandemic (He’s in a clip of a 60 Minutes episode on this topic).
He held the title and responsibilities of Deputy Commander for Patient Services, Brooke Army Medical Center, Chief of the Surgeon General’s Physical Performance Service Line, and Chief, Force Health Protection, Health Readiness Center of Excellence, among others.
COL Koenig has also served as the Army’s Chief Dietitian/Assistant Chief, Army Medical Specialist Corps.
Koenig remembered his Viterbo days. “The sense of community makes Viterbo special,” he said. “The relationship with students goes beyond a contract to provide an education.”
He added that Viterbo provides a transformative experience – where students learn the skills to contribute to their profession and to their communities. “The professors take an active interest in individual students, really helping them to better understand students as individuals and helping them grow academically and as people, influencing their values.”
Military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (2OLC), Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (4 OLC), National Defense Service Medal with star device, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Air Assault Badge, the 25th Infantry Division Combat Patch, and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge.
He was inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit.
Read about the other 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
