10 Things You Didn’t Know About Gen. Eric Shinseki
President-elect Barack Obama named Shinseki secretary of Veterans Affairs
1. Eric K. Shinseki was born on Nov. 28, 1942, in Lihue, which is located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
2. Shinseki was a Boy Scout growing up in Hawaii and attended Kauai High School, where he was student body president.
3. Shinseki is married to his high school sweetheart, Patricia Yoshinobu. They have two grown children, Lori and Ken.
4. The recipient of two Purple Hearts, Shinseki was sent to Vietnam six months after graduating from West Point in 1965. During his two tours in Vietnam, he served as an artillery forward observer and base commander.
5. During one of his tours in Vietnam, Shinseki was severely injured when he stepped on a mine.
6. In addition to being a West Point graduate, Shinseki received a master's degree in English from Duke University. He returned to West Point to teach English for two years.
7. Less than a year after becoming Army vice chief of staff, Shinseki was appointed to serve as the Army's chief of staff by President Clinton. Shinseki became the 34th Army chief of staff on June 22, 1999.
8. During his four years serving as Army chief of staff, Shinseki was a proponent of transforming the Army. He wanted "to make the Army lighter, more modular, and—most importantly—more deployable." The "Future Combat System" was created by the Army to help with the transformation.
9. When Shinseki retired from the military in 2003, he had served for 38 years. During his career, he held numerous positions, including commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas and commanding general of the U.S. Army Europe.
10. The U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii is home to "The General Eric K. Shinseki Exhibit." The exhibit, which opened in 2004, documents the general's life, beginning with his childhood in Hawaii all the way to his military career.
Sources:
- Associated Press Financial Wire
- Associated Press State & Local Wire
- Associated Press Worldstream
- Congressional Research Service Reports and Issue Briefs
- Hawaii Army Museum Society
- The Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, HI)
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Hawaii)
- The New York Times
- The New Yorker
- USA Today
- States News Service
Reader Comments
The shamful manner we are treated at VA Hospitals
I have written a Formal Complaint concerning the manner I was treated by a Clerk at the Augusta Georgia VA on 15 th Street
in the Pharmacy Department ( her name is Cindy White)when I appeared there recently ( yesterday 9/05/09) to pick up my medication. To the point she attempted to treat me in a disrespectful manner, by not even reading the Notes on my medication from the computer, rather, in a disrespectful manner, telling me that I had no medication !!!! In the argument that ensued she was forced to get off of her lazy
seat and go and check for my medication. Luckily I argued and got my medication, however, think of the passive brothers and Sisters who did not argue and went home without their medication and suffer death or sickness.
VA Appeals
I've been waiting on a determination on my appeal of ratings for my VA determined service connected disabilities now for 2 years. I wonder if when Gen Shinseki retired, or any other flag officer for that matter, they were forced to wait for anything when it pertained to the VA and their findings?
When I call to check on my appeal, I am appologized to and told they are over burdened and to please be patient. I think my 2 years waiting has been exceptionally patient. I wrote to my congressman (4th District in Ohio) a few days ago (in my 24 years of service I've never previously contact my congressman), but have not heard back from him on the matter.
Very frustrated U.S. Army retiree.
Shinseki
Our VA system needs a huge change. The way our veterans are being cared for is shameful. Hopefully Shinseki will start at the bottom and work upwards in every VA center/hospital in the US. Our Veterans need and deserve a lot better care than they have been receiving. Maybe if our President would stop bailing out businesses that are failing and let nature take its course, we would have the money needed to do right by our Veterans.
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