John Shalikashvili
John Shalikashvili | |
---|---|
Army Commendation Medal Presidential Medal of Freedom | |
Alma mater | George Washington University |
Spouse(s) | Gunhild Bartsch
(m. 1963; died 1965)Joan Zimpelman (m. 1966) |
Children | 2 |
Other work | Visiting professor, Stanford University Director, Frank Russell Trust Company Director, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. Director, Plug Power Inc. Director, United Defense Industries, Inc. |
John Malchase David Shalikashvili (Georgian: ჯონ მალხაზ დავით შალიკაშვილი, romanized: jon malkhaz davit shalik'ashvili, IPA: [ʃalikʼaʃʷili]; June 27, 1936 – July 23, 2011) was a United States Army general who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 1992 to 1993 and the 13th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997.[1] He was born in Warsaw, Poland, in the family of émigré Georgian officer Dimitri Shalikashvili and his Polish wife Maria Rüdiger-Belyaeva. In 1996, he was the first recipient of the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.[2]
Shalikashvili was the first, and as of 2023 only, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff not born in the United States. He served in every level of unit command from platoon to division.[3] Shalikashvili died of a stroke in 2011 at the age of 75.[4]
Early life and education
Shalikashvili was a scion of the medieval Georgian noble house of Shalikashvili. His father, Prince Dimitri Shalikashvili (1896–1978), born in Gurjaani,[5] served in the army of Imperial Russia and his wife, Countess Maria Rüdiger-Belyaeva. Dimitri was a grandson of Russian general Dmitry Staroselsky.
After the
In 1939, the elder Shalikashvili fought against the German
In 1952, when Shalikashvili was 16, the family emigrated to the US, and settled in
I spoke a little bit [of English]. But not much beyond yes and no and what time is it. And the stories that subsequently have been told that I learned English by watching John Wayne movies is only a little bit of a stretch ... As school was over [at Peoria High School], I would run to the local movie theater. There I would sit through movies in order to learn English. In those days movies didn't start at a specific time and end at a specific time, but they would roll continuously ... The first time through it wouldn't make much sense to me. But the second time through, it would begin to make a little more sense. Now in my memory, that is probably very faulty, a lot of those movies were John Wayne movies or at least were Wild West movies.
Shalikashvili went to Peoria High School, where he was a long-distance runner. He attended Bradley University in Peoria and received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1958. He was a member of Theta Chi. In 1970, Shalikashvili received a master's degree in international affairs from the George Washington University's School of International Affairs.
In May 1958, Shalikashvili and his family became U.S. citizens. It was the first nationality he ever held. He had previously been classified as stateless because he had been born to parents who had been refugees.
Military career
After graduation Shalikashvili had planned to work for
Shalikashvili served in various Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery positions as a platoon leader, forward observer, instructor, and student, in various staff positions, and as a battery commander. He served in the
In 1970, Shalikashvili became executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery at
Shalikashvili achieved real distinction with his considerable success as the commander of Operation Provide Comfort, the peacekeeping and humanitarian activity in northern Iraq after the Gulf War. This assignment involved intense and complex negotiations with the Turkish government, and tough face-to-face meetings with the Iraqi military.[12] Another important achievement was the establishment of the Joint Vision 2010 program, which would transfer the United States military into one great and effective digitalized military force.
Shalikashvili was appointed
Later life and death
Shalikashvili was an advisor to
Shalikashvili was married to Joan and had one son, Brant, a graduate of Washington State University, and a daughter, Debra.
Shalikashvili suffered a severe stroke on August 7, 2004 that paralyzed his left side.[14]
In 2006 the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) launched the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies to recognize Shalikashvili for his years of military service and for his leadership on NBR's Board of Directors.[15]
In 2007, Shalikashvili penned an op-ed in The New York Times calling for a reversal of Don't ask, don't tell.[16] A similar op-ed by him appeared in the June 19, 2009, issue of The Washington Post.[17] The policy was reversed July 22, 2011, the day before his death.
Shalikashvili died at the age of 75 on July 23, 2011, at the
The first biography on Shalikashvili, "Boy on the Bridge: The Story of John Shalikashvili's American Success," was published by the University Press of Kentucky in conjunction with the
Ancestry
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Dates of rank
Rank | Date |
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Second lieutenant | July 7, 1959 |
First lieutenant |
July 7, 1961 |
Captain | July 8, 1963 |
Major | August 23, 1967 |
Lieutenant colonel | May 12, 1974 |
Colonel | December 6, 1978 |
Brigadier general | August 1, 1983 |
Major general | September 1, 1986 |
Lieutenant general | October 1, 1989 |
General | June 24, 1992 |
Awards and decorations
- GEN Shalikashvili received at least two more foreign awards.
Other Recognition
In 1994, Shalikashvili received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[23][24]
In 2006, The National Bureau of Asian Research recognized board member General John M. Shalikashvili for his lifelong contributions to our nation and dedicated a chair in national security studies in his name, The John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies.[25]
References
- S2CID 202496492.
- ^ "USNWC official website". Archived from the original on November 5, 2011.
- ^ Luttwak (August 22, 1993). "Why Clinton Called Upon Shalikashvili". The Sacramento Bee.
- ^ Dewan, Shaila (July 23, 2011). "Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, Military Chief in 1990s, Dies at 75". The New York Times.
- ^ "Around The World". archive.seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times. 24 May 1995. Shalikashvili seeks to have Nazi dad reburied in Georgia. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
- ISBN 9780743202121. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ Farley, Christopher John; Lemonick, Michael D.; Meers, Eric A.; et al. (1993-09-06). "News Digest August 22–28". Time. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
- ^ Shalikashvili, Dimitri. Memoirs. Hoover Institution.
- ^ Marble, Andrew. "A Biography Project on Gen. John Shalikashvili". Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ Marble, Andrew (January 2012). "How Are Great Leaders Made? Lessons from the Career of General John Shalikashvili" (PDF). Joint Force Quarterly (64): 137–138. Archived from the original (PDF-20.75 Mb) on 2014-07-16. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
- S2CID 143933931.
- ^ "Leadership Council | Initiative for Global Development". Archived from the original on 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
- ^ "Former Head Of Chiefs Of Staff Is Ill". The New York Times. August 10, 2004. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ "In Honor of General John M. Shalikashvili (June 27, 1936 – July 23, 2011)". The National Bureau of Asian Research. August 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Shalikashvili, John M. (January 2, 2007). "Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Shalikashvili, John M. (June 19, 2009). "Data Must Rule the Debate on Gays in the Military". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dies". CNN. July 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ Patterson, Michael Robert (January 25, 2023). "John Malchase David Shalikashvili - General, United States Army".
- ISBN 9780813178042.
- ISBN 978-1075301711.
- ^ (in Portuguese) Decree. 26 January 1994.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Gen. Colin Powell Biography Photo". 1998.
At the 1998 Achievement Summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, four Academy members and Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: General John M. Shalikashvili, USA (the Academy's Class of 1994), General David C. Jones, USAF (Class of 1979), General Henry (Hugh) Shelton, USA (Class of 1998) and General Colin L. Powell, USA (Class of 1988).
- ^ "NBR Director and Former Joint Chiefs Chairman John Shalikashvili Honored with Chair in National Security Studies". The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). 2006.
External links
- Shalikashvili calls for rethinking 'don't ask, don't tell'
- Andrew Marble, "In Memoriam: How General John Shalikashvili 'Paid It Forward' to 500,000 Others," Joint Forces Quarterly 63 (October 2011), 4–5.
- The Life and Legacy of Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, Q&A with Shali biographer Andrew Marble (August 2011)
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Arlington National Cemetery