May God bless his family in their time of need.
Rest in peace General.
General John Shalikashvili
General John Shalikashvili, who died on July 23 aged 75, was the first foreign-born chairman of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff, holding the top military job at the Pentagon as principal military adviser to the President, the defence secretary and the National Security Council; he advised President Bill Clinton on the use of troops in Bosnia and other trouble spots.
Shalikashvili served as Clinton’s military chief from 1993 until 1997, having previously been supreme allied commander of US forces in Europe and of Nato.
General John ShalikashviliBorn in Poland, “General Shali”, as he was known, made the recommendations that sent US troops into conflicts in Haiti, Rwanda, Bosnia, the Persian Gulf and other world hot spots that had proliferated since the end of the Cold War.
Shalikashvili was head of the joint chiefs when the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuals in the US military was adopted. He had argued that allowing gays to serve openly would damage troop morale and undermine the cohesion of combat units. But he changed his mind on the issue after meeting with gay servicemen.
Earlier, under the first President George Bush, Shalikashvili served as Nato’s supreme allied commander and commander in chief of all US armed forces in Europe.
Truth, Lies and In Between 