[2][6] Promoted to brigadier general, Yerks served as assistant commander of the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis.

As a major general, he served as commanding officer of the Military District of Washington from August 1, 1975 to July 15, 1977.

[2][7] As Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Yerks launched the Army's "Be All You Can Be" recruiting campaign.

In 2000, he was nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to ending the Liberian Civil War.

[8][9][10] He is the last man since Theodore Roosevelt to be nominated for both a United States Medal of Honor and a Nobel Peace Prize.