Chris Walton

Chris Walton is a retired United States Army Officer and Disabled Veteran with nearly 25 years of service as an Army paratrooper with XVIII Airborne Corps and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He is a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star Medal for excellence in combat and a six-time recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal for Leadership Excellence.

Chris and his wife Maria moved to Colorado following his retirement from active military service where he served as a Park Ranger (Law Enforcement), Rocky Mountain National Park. After several years in Virginia to spend time with their grandchildren, Zoe and Tucker, they returned to Colorado and Summit County in 2020. He developed his love of horses from Maria, a lifelong horse lover. Beginning as a volunteer at the SVHC winter barn in 2023, he has developed a definitive love of these magnificent animals and the potential of their ability to assist brother and sister Veterans suffering from the post-traumatic stress of combat operations.

Chris is formerly the Board President of American Military Family, a 501 (c)(3) dedicated to assisting Veterans with post-traumatic stress. He is also formerly the President of the Admiral Arleigh Burke Chapter of Military Officers Association of America, Boulder CO, and is a life member of the 101st Airborne Division Association.

Chris and Maria have a daughter, Casey, and their grandchildren in Norfolk, VA who spent time in the summer of 2023 at the SVHC Ranch where they learned about horses and ranch operations.