1. John Shalikashvili was born in Warsaw, Poland, in the family of emigre Georgian officer Dimitri Shalikashvili and his naturalized-Polish wife Maria Rudiger-Belyaeva.
31 Facts About John Shalikashvili
1. 2.
John Shalikashvili served in every level of unit command from platoon to division.
3.
John Shalikashvili died of a stroke in 2011 at the age of 75.
4.
John Shalikashvili was a scion of the medieval Georgian noble house of John Shalikashvili.
5.
John Shalikashvili's father, Prince Dimitri Shalikashvili, born in Gurjaani, served in the army of Imperial Russia and his wife, Countess Maria Rudiger-Belyaeva.
6.
In 1939, the elder John Shalikashvili fought against the German invasion of Poland.
7.
John Shalikashvili's family stayed with relatives there in Pappenheim for eight years.
8.
In 1952, when John Shalikashvili was 16, the family emigrated to the US, and settled in Peoria, Illinois.
9.
The Luthys and the Episcopal Church helped the John Shalikashvili family get started, finding jobs and a home for them.
10.
John Shalikashvili went to Peoria High School, where he was a long-distance runner.
11.
John Shalikashvili attended Bradley University in Peoria and received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1958.
12.
In 1970, John Shalikashvili received a master's degree in international affairs from the George Washington University's School of International Affairs.
13.
John Shalikashvili had previously been classified as stateless because he had been born to parents who had been refugees.
14.
John Shalikashvili entered the United States Army as a private, enjoyed it, and applied to the Army's Officer Candidate School.
15.
John Shalikashvili was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1959.
16.
John 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.
17.
John Shalikashvili served in the Vietnam War in Quang Tri Province with Advisory Team 4, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, as a senior district advisor from 1968 to 1969.
18.
John Shalikashvili was awarded a Bronze Star Medal with "V" for heroism during his Vietnam tour.
19.
In 1970, John Shalikashvili became executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery at Fort Lewis, Washington.
20.
In 1987, John Shalikashvili commanded the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis.
21.
John 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.
22.
John Shalikashvili was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, effective October 25.
23.
John Shalikashvili retired from the Army in September 1997, after serving for 38 years.
24.
John Shalikashvili was a visiting professor at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.
25.
John Shalikashvili served as a director of Russell Investments, L-3 Communications, Inc.
26.
John Shalikashvili was married to Joan and had one son, Brant, a graduate of Washington State University, and a daughter, Debra.
27.
John Shalikashvili suffered a severe stroke on 7 August 2004 that paralyzed his left side.
28.
In 2007, John Shalikashvili penned an op-ed in The New York Times calling for a reversal of Don't ask, don't tell.
29.
John Shalikashvili died at the age of 75 on 23 July 2011, at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, from a stroke.
30.
John Shalikashvili is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
31.
In 1994, John Shalikashvili received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.