-->

• Eric K. Shinseki was named the 34th Army Chief of Staff in June 1999, and retired in 2003, six months after publicly telling the Bush administration there were not enough available troops to successfully run a war in Iraq.New York Times: New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki (January 12, 2007)

  On December 7, 2008 President Barack Obama announced Shinseki as his nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The senate confirmed Shinseki's appointment only hours after the inauguration on January 20, 2009.FOX News: Senate Confirms Obama Cabinet Secretaries (January 20, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Education: BS, United States Military Academy, 1965; MA English Literature, Duke UniversityAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  2. Combat experience: Two tours in Vietnam as an Artillery Forward Observer and Commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Asian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  3. 1994-1995: Commanded 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, TexasAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  4. 1996: Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, U.S. ArmyAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  5. 1997: Became Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe, Commander, Allied Land Forces Central Europe; and Commander, NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia-HerzegovinaAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  6. 1998: Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. ArmyAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  7. 1999-2003 Chief of Staff, U.s. ArmyAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki
  8. Awards: Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, among othersAsian American Net: General Eric K. Shinseki

• Shinseki and the Bush Administration

  In February 2003, three weeks before the beginning of the Iraq War, then-Army Chief of Staff Shinseki told Congress that there were not enough troops available to send to Iraq, something that has proven to be true.New York Times: New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki (January 12, 2007)

  For his comments, Shinseki was vilified by members of the Bush Administration, including Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. In particular, Wolfowitz said that Shinseki's testimony was "wildly off the mark." He retired in June 2003. Shinseki has never publicly commented on the situation, a fact that, according to political journalist David Gergen, director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, has added to the high levels of esteem his colleagues hold him in.New York Times: New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki (January 12, 2007)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  U.S. Army | Bush Administration | Obama Administration | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | United States Military Academy | Vietnam War | Iraq War | Donald Rumsfeld | Paul Wolfowitz

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page