Thomas Daschle: “I have very mixed feelings about the decision announced yesterday at the White House. After nearly four decades of…”

“I have very mixed feelings about the decision announced yesterday at the White House. After nearly four decades of exemplary service to his adopted Nation, Gen. John Shalikashvili will step down as the top soldier of our Nation's military forces. We understand that by statute he is required to do so, but it does not make the reality any less of a disappointment. With his 39 years of distinguished service, General Shali, as he has come to be affectionately known, has earned the respect and admiration of men and women in uniform, the Nation and indeed the whole world. His brand of quiet, steady leadership will be greatly missed. The General Shali story is as unusual as it is remarkable. Born in Warsaw, Poland, on June 27, 1936, John Shalikashvili was just 3 years old when Hitler's tanks rolled into his homeland. Five years later, Stalin's troops invaded Poland from the east. His family fled to Berlin, Germany, after World War II and then later moved to Peoria, IL, when John Shalikashvili was 16 years old. He graduated from Peoria High School in 1954 and received a degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University 4 years later. General Shali began his extraordinary military career in an ordinary way--as a draftee in 1958.”