Rear Adm. Peterson is a native of West Fargo, North Dakota. He enlisted in the Army in 1988 attending basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After attending Advanced Individual Training, he served as a combat medic in the 815th Medical Clearing Company, North Dakota Army National Guard. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from Concordia College, Moorhead Minnesota and was commissioned in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps in 1993 through the Nurse Candidate Program. He obtained a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty of Family Nurse Practitioner from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2013. He is Board Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner working actively in the urgent care, holding certifications in emergency nursing and pediatric emergency nursing.
Peterson’s shore assignments include Naval Medical Center San Diego as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton as a charge nurse in the Emergency Department. Affiliating with the Navy Reserve, his assignments included casualty receiving nurse, assistant officer-in- charge, and headquarters assignments, Operational Health Support Unit Great Lakes; officer-in-charge, Expeditionary Medical Facility Great Lakes One Detachment November; and executive officer, Expeditionary Medical Facility Great Lakes One.
Command assignments include Expeditionary Medical Unit Camp Pendleton and deputy chief of Staff, Navy Reserve Expeditionary Medicine.
Peterson assumed the duties of deputy commander, Naval Medical Forces Command, Atlantic and deputy director Navy Nurse Corps Oct 2020.
Peterson’s IA/Mobilization/Deployment assignments include Emergency Department team leader, Naval Medical Center, San Diego (2006); department head, Trauma, NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit Kandahar Airfield (2010); Trauma Team senior nurse and director, Nursing Services, NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit Kandahar (2014), both in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Peterson's awards include: Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy Commendation Medal (six awards), Navy Achievement Medal (three awards), and various other campaign and unit awards.

Last Updated: 19 May 2023