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News Releases |
Army Chief of Staff Builds Warrior Ethos
Columbus, Georgia – November 17, 2005: The
nation's top Army general warns that U.S. troops won't be pulling
out of Iraq anytime soon. General Peter J. Schoomaker says this
is going to be a "very long war."
Schoomaker, the Chief of Staff of the United States
Army, made the remarks before a crowd of about 175 at the second
presentation of the Hughston Leadership Lecture Series. The audience
included both active duty and retired military members and a broad
spectrum of community leaders.
There are currently more than 100,000 soldiers
serving in Iraq. Schoomaker said he has to keep troop strength at
that level to be prepared for he called a worst case scenario. It's
up to the commanders in Iraq to decide whether they need more or
fewer troops. Schoomaker said it's his job to make sure there are
enough well trained and well equipped soldiers to get the job done.
Schoomaker became the 35th Army Chief of Staff
in summer 2003 when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pulled him
out of retirement. One of Schoomaker's priorities has been to instill
a "warrior ethos" in all soldiers. He wants every soldier
– whether his job is on the front line or in the kitchen –
to be equally trained and equipped.
"We won't have another Jessica Lynch incident,"
Schoomaker vowed, referring to the March 2003 ambush on the 507th
Maintenance Company in Iraq. The unit got lost and came under fire
by insurgents. Army officials admitted that poorly maintained equipment
and inadequate training of the support unit contributed to the deaths
of 11 soldiers and the capture of nine others, including Lynch.
Schoomaker said the Army has made big strides in
the past two years and is better able to fight a war where there
is no clear front line and where all soldiers face deadly threat.
The Hughston Leadership Lecture Series was launched
earlier this year to bring prominent national figures to the community
for discussions on leadership. The events are co-sponsored by the
Hughston Clinic and the National Infantry Foundation.
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