Lieutenant General Carter F. Ham served as an enlisted Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division before attending John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. He was commissioned in the Infantry as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1976. General Ham's early assignments included service as a training officer at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and tours of duty in Italy and Germany. After graduating from the Armor Officers Advanced Course, he was a Recruiting Area Commander in Lima, Ohio. In 1984, he served with a joint service unit in support of the Olympic games in Los Angeles. From 1984 until 1989, General Ham served as Assistant Inspector General, then as Battalion S-3 and XO at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. He attended the Naval College of Command and Staff, graduating with distinction in 1990, and was then assigned to the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

He served a tour as an advisor with a Saudi Arabian National Guard Brigade in Riyadh then returned to Fort Benning, where he was the executive officer for the Infantry School. General Ham commanded the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry in Vilseck, Germany including a six month tour with the United Nations Protection Forces in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Following battalion command, he was the Senior Observer/Controller of the Timberwolf Team at the Combat Maneuver Training Center, Hohenfels, Germany. He graduated from the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in 1997 then returned to Germany where he served as G3 then Chief of Staff, 1st Infantry Division. From 1999 to 2001 he commanded the 29th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning then was assigned to United States Central Command serving in Tampa, Florida and in Qatar. General Ham was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General for Training and Readiness, I Corps at Fort Lewis, Washington in August 2003. In January 2004, he assumed command of MultiNational Brigade - North in Mosul, Iraq serving there until February 2005. Returning from Iraq, General Ham served as the Deputy Director for Regional Operations, J-33, The Joint Staff. General Ham assumed command of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas August 2006 and served as the Commanding General until July 2007. He assumed the duties as Director for Operations (J-3), Joint Staff, Washington DC, 6 August 2007.

General Ham's awards and decorations include: Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (3rd award), the Legion of Merit (2nd award), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (6th award), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (3rd award), the Army Achievement Medal (3rd award), the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge.