Eric Shinseki
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Eric Ken "Rick" Shinseki (pronounced /ʃɨnˈsɛki/; born November 28, 1942) is a retired United States Army four-star general who is currently serving as the 7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His final U.S. Army post was as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army (1999–2003). He is a veteran of combat in Vietnam, where he sustained a foot injury.
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[edit] Early life and education
Shinseki was born in Lihue, Kauai in the then Territory of Hawaii, to an American family of Japanese Ancestry. His grandparents immigrated from Hiroshima to Hawaii in 1901.[1] He grew up in a sugar plantation community on Kaua'i and graduated from Kaua'i High and Intermediate School in 1960. After high school, he attended the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant. He earned a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Duke University. He was also educated at the Armor Officer Advanced Course, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the National War College.
[edit] Military service
Shinseki served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the Continental United States and overseas, including two combat tours with the 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions in the Republic of Vietnam as an artillery forward observer and as commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment. During one of those tours, he stepped on a land mine, which blew the front off one of his feet.
He has served at Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i with Headquarters, United States Army Hawaii, and Fort Shafter with Headquarters, United States Army Pacific. He has taught at the U.S. Military Academy’s Department of English. During duty with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas, he served as the regimental adjutant and as the executive officer of its 1st Squadron.
Shinseki’s ten-plus years of service in Europe included assignments as Commander, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 3rd Infantry Division (Schweinfurt); Commander, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Kitzingen); Assistant Chief of Staff, G3, 3rd Infantry Division (Operations, Plans and Training) (Würzburg); and Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver, 3rd Infantry Division (Schweinfurt). The 3rd ID was organized at that time as a heavy mechanized division. He also served as Assistant Chief of Staff, G3 (Operations, Plans and Training), VII Corps (Stuttgart). Shinseki served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Support, Allied Land Forces Southern Europe (Verona), an element of the Allied Command Europe.
From March 1994 to July 1995, Shinseki commanded the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. In July 1996, he was promoted to lieutenant general and became Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, United States Army. In June 1997, Shinseki was appointed to the rank of general before assuming duties as Commanding General, Seventh United States Army; Commander, Allied Land Forces Central Europe; and Commander, NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shinseki became the Army's 28th Vice Chief of Staff on 24 November 1998, then became its 34th Chief of Staff on 22 June 1999.[2] Shinseki retired on 11 June 2003 at the end of his four-year term. His Farewell Memo contained some of his ideas regarding the future of the military.[3] At that time, General Shinseki retired from the Army after 38 years of military service.
As of 2009[update], General Shinseki was the highest-ranked Asian American in the history of the United States.[4] Additionally, as of 2004, he the highest-ranked Japanese American to have served in the United States Armed Forces.[5]
[edit] Army Chief of Staff
During his tenure as Army Chief of Staff, Shinseki initiated an innovative but controversial plan to make the Army more strategically deployable and mobile in urban terrain by creating Stryker Interim-Force Brigade Combat Teams.[6] He conceived a long term strategic plan for the Army dubbed Objective Force, which included a program he designed, Future Combat Systems.[7] One other controversial plan that Shinseki implemented was the wearing of the Black Beret for all Army personnel.[8] Prior to Shinseki implementing this policy, only the United States Rangers could wear the black beret. When the black beret was given to all soldiers and officers, the Rangers moved to the tan beret.
Shinseki publicly clashed with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during the planning of the war in Iraq over how many troops the U.S. would need to keep in Iraq for the postwar occupation of that country. As Army Chief of Staff, General Shinseki testified to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that "something in the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" would probably be required for postwar Iraq. This was an estimate far higher than the figure being proposed by Secretary Rumsfeld in his invasion plan, and it was rejected in strong language by both Rumsfeld and his Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, who was another chief planner of the invasion and occupation.[9] From then on, Shinseki's influence on the Joint Chiefs of Staff reportedly waned.[10] Critics of the Bush Administration alleged that Shinseki was forced into early retirement as Army Chief of staff because of his comments on troop levels, but the claim is disputed as his retirement was actually announced nearly a year before those comments.[11]
When the insurgency took hold in postwar Iraq, Shinseki's comments and their public rejection by the civilian leadership were often cited by those who felt the Bush administration deployed too few troops to Iraq.[12] On November 15, 2006, in testimony before Congress, CENTCOM Commander Gen. John Abizaid said that General Shinseki had been correct that more troops were needed.[12]
[edit] Post-military career
Shinseki has served as a director for several corporations: Honeywell International and Ducommun, military contractors; Grove Farm Corporation; First Hawaiian Bank;[13] and Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.[14] He is a member of the Advisory Boards at the Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and to the U.S. Comptroller General. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Atlantic Council of the United States, and the Association of the United States Army.[15]
On December 7, 2008, then-President-elect Barack Obama announced at a Chicago press conference that once in office, he would nominate Shinseki to become the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.[16] He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on January 20, 2009 and sworn in the next day.[17]
[edit] Awards, Decorations and Badges
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Defense Distinguished Service Medal |
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Army Distinguished Service Medal |
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Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster) |
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Bronze Star (with "V" Device and two Oak Leaf Clusters) |
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Purple Heart (with Oak Leaf Cluster) |
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Meritorious Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters) |
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Defense Meritorious Service Medal |
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Air Medal |
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Parachutist Badge |
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Ranger Tab |
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Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge |
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Army Staff Identification Badge |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Obata, Hiroshi. 両祖父母は広島出身 ("Shinseki: both grandparents are from Hiroshima"). Hiroshima Peace Media (Japan). January 30, 2009
- ^ Fahrig, Jody T. (23 June 1999). "Army welcomes Shinseki as new chief". Army News Service. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080312164047/http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=4731. Retrieved 2006-05-27.
- ^ Shinseki, Eric K (2003-06-10). "End of Tour Memorandum" (PDF). The Washington Post Company. http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/documents/shinseki.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ^ Thom Shanker (14 January 2009). "A Second Act for General Shinseki". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/us/politics/15shinseki.html. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ^ Gregg K. Kakesako (31 March 2004). "An Inspiration for a Generation". Honolulu Star Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/03/31/news/story3.html. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ^ Thom Shanker (29 October 2002). "Army Takes on Critics of an Armored Vehicle". New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B14F83E5B0C7A8EDDA90994DA404482. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Objective Force is Needed for Relevancy". AUSA News. Association of the United States Army. 1 April 2001. http://www3.ausa.org/WEBINT/DeptAUSANews.nsf/byid/CCRN-6CGLGV. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Beret battle: Army approves color change". Amarillo Globe=News. 16 March 2001. http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/03/16/usn_beretbattle.shtml. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ Schmitt, Eric. "Pentagon Contradicts General on Iraq Occupation Force's Size", New York Times, February 28, 2003.
- ^ Shanker, Thom "New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki", The New York Times, January 12, 2007.
- ^ CNN Political Unit. CNN Political Unit debate fact check. CNN.com. October 9, 2004.
- ^ a b Ricks, Thomas E.; Ann Scott Tyson (November 16, 2006). "Abizaid Says Withdrawal Would Mean More Unrest". Washington Post: p. A22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111500800.html. Retrieved 2006-12-13. "General [Eric] Shinseki was right that a greater international force contribution, U.S. force contribution and Iraqi force contribution should have been available immediately after major combat operations."
- ^ Rucker, Philip; Thomas E. Ricks (December 6, 2008). "Shinseki Slated to Head VA, Obama Confirms". Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/06/shinseki_slated_to_head_va_dem.html?hpid=topnews. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ^ "Shinseki biography". Forbes. http://people.forbes.com/profile/eric-k-shinseki/41426. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ^ "The Purpose Prize: Shinseki". http://www.purposeprize.org/judges/shinseki.cfm. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
- ^ "Obama: No one 'more qualified' than Shinseki to head VA". CNN. December 7, 2008. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/07/obama.shinseki/. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
- ^ Abrams, Jim (2009-01-20). "Senate confirms 6 cabinet secretaries". Associated Press (Google News). http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hi6r-WMKkf2LwqPLQN0PhNMabNmgD95R59EG0. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
[edit] References
- VA Official Biography
- Official U.S. Army biography, in Bell, William Gardner. COMMANDING GENERALS AND CHIEFS OF STAFF 1775-2005: Portraits & Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer, United States Army Center of Military History, 2005. (ISBN 0-16-072376-0)
[edit] Further reading
- Chief of Staff of the Army's Remarks to Soldiers Radio and Television after the attacks of September 11th,[dead link] September 14, 2001, published on ARNews. (URL retrieved May 28, 2006)
- Burlas, Joe. "Commentary: Shinseki leaves legacy of irreversible momentum", ARNEWS, June 10, 2003.
- Dickey, Connie. "Chief of Staff shares his concerns for the soldier and the Army", ARNEWS, June 28, 1999. From media interview 3 days after becoming Army Chief of Staff. (URL retrieved May 27, 2006)
- Moulin, Pierre. " Commentary: Eric Shinseki Gallery", Fort DeRussy - U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii, April, 2008. ISBN 978-1-56647-850-2
- Siemieniec, Jack. "Chief of Staff expands on Army Vision", ARNEWS, January 31, 2000. (URL retrieved May 27, 2006)
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Eric Shinseki |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eric K. Shinseki |
- Biography at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Eric Shinseki collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- (Works by or about Eric Shinseki in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Eric K. Shinseki Collection (while CSA)
- Eric K. Shinseki Gallery Fort DeRussy Army Museum of Hawaii
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Crouch |
Commanding General of the United States Army Europe 1997–1998 |
Succeeded by Montgomery Meigs |
| Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1998–1999 |
Succeeded by Jack Keane |
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| Preceded by Dennis Reimer |
Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by Peter Schoomaker |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by James Peake |
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Served under: Barack Obama 2009–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education |
Order of Precedence of the United States as Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
Succeeded by Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security |
| United States presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded by Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education |
17th in line as Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
Succeeded by Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security |
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- 1942 births
- American military personnel of the Vietnam War
- American military personnel of Japanese descent
- Duke University alumni
- People from Kauai County, Hawaii
- Obama Administration cabinet members
- Honeywell
- Living people
- National War College alumni
- People from Lihue, Hawaii
- Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Air Medal
- Recipients of the Purple Heart medal
- Recipients of the Ranger tab
- United States Army Chiefs of Staff
- United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
- United States Army Vice Chiefs of Staff
- United States Military Academy alumni
- United States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs
- Recipients of the Army Commendation Medal
- Recipients of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal
