James A. Adkins is a retired senior military officer and former cabinet-level official in state government having served as Maryland's Adjutant General and Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Major General Adkins was born in 1954 in Cambridge and grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Prior to entering the U.S. Army, he served two years with the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office His military career spanned nearly 40 years of service in both the enlisted and officer ranks. He served at nearly every level of command and in various staff assignments. Adkins graduated from the Defense Language Institute's Russian Language Program in Monterey, California, and served in intelligence, infantry, and cavalry assignments in the United States and abroad. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he assisted the Republic of Estonia in its integration into NATO. His military career took him to Japan, Germany, Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and Afghanistan. Adkins’ military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross, the Republic of Estonia's Order of the Cross of the Eagle 2nd Class and the Order of the White Cross. His senior military education included the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of the State of New York and a master's degree in history from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. General Adkins was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina in recognition of his service to that country. In 2016, he was selected for induction into the Defense Language Institute's Hall of Fame in Monterey, California. General Adkins was inducted into the Maryland State Firemen's Association Hall of Fame in 2014. The Daughters of the American Revolution in 2020 presented General Adkins with their highest award for native-born Americans, the DAR Medal of Honor. He is a member of numerous organizations including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, U.S. Army War College Foundation and Alumni Affairs, U.S. Naval Institute, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, 2nd Armored Division Association, 29th Infantry Division Association, Jamestowne Society, National Society Sons of the American Revolution, Society of the War of 1812, Rotary Club of Cambridge, and the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association. Adkins served as the President, Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution from 2018 to 2019.
President, Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution - 2018
Awarded a certificate of completion for the General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar Program, April 2012, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education.
