American Patriot Award 2009 General Petraeus

¡Hola! One of the unique and most cherished values we have as Americans, one of the central tenets of our democracy and free enterprise system, is that we live in a country that provides the opportunity for any individual, no matter how modest their beginnings, no matter what their station in life, to rise up and with determination, perseverance, and purpose make extraordinary contributions to our nation. It is a tenet of our American democracy that has at once confounded and inspired every other culture and society in the world. And the stories of such lives well lived have and continue to inspire generation after generation of Americans. They are indeed the quintessential all-American stories. The life and career of General David H. Petraeus is just such a story. He was born and raised in the historic village of Cornwall, New York, a classic Norman Rockwell small town overlooking the Hudson River. And prophetically, a mere 10 miles upriver from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Young David grew up with the guidance and support of a loving, involved mother balanced by a strong and disciplined father, a Dutch-born former sea captain. In those years, David was fondly nicknamed Peaches by his friends and teachers for his friendly face and youthful, easy smile. Hardly a typical moniker befitting an individual who would later become one of the most storied military leaders of our time. Despite his winning smile and fun, carefree nature, David was a serious, results-oriented student from the very beginning, focused on achieving his very best academically as a member of the National Honor Society and a National Merit Scholar finalist in high school. And athletically as an aggressive soccer player, an avid skier, and a skilled sailor. With the consistent support of a strong, well-grounded family, coupled with his abiding desire to someday serve his country and make a difference in the world, David resisted the Woodstock culture of the '60s and focused on achieving his lifelong dream of attending that famed academy just 10 miles down the road. And in 1970, at the age of 18, David Petraeus did just that. Leaving Peaches in his distant past, he quietly marched into the hallowed halls of the U.S. Military Academy as a member of the Class of 1974, a march that would ultimately write him into the annals of American military history. The young cadet graduated among the top of his class at West Point, an experience surpassed only by that of meeting there a young woman by the name of Holly Knowlton, a Dickinson College student and the daughter of the Academy Superintendent, General William Knowlton. Shortly after graduation, newly commissioned Lieutenant Petraeus and Holly Knowlton were married and are today, with two adult children, celebrating over 35 years of joint service to our military and our nation. General Petraeus's remarkable career has spanned the gamut of military and national security assignments. Each of those assignments and the men and women he worked with made significant contributions militarily and intellectually to his personal and professional growth. And to developing the man who would someday help America face the unprecedented challenges and threats of the 21st century. From Ranger School to a multitude of key staff and command positions throughout the United States and Europe, from Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti to Operation Desert Spring in Kuwait and Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Petraeus was being forged and refined— for a major role in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the ongoing War on Terror. Midcourse in his career, Petraeus made a decision that, prophetically, would have a profound impact on his later role as commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq and on the Iraq War as a whole. He went back to school, and after earning a master's in public affairs, In 1985, he received his PhD in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton. His decades of diverse military experience, coupled with his extensive intellectual and academic pursuits, from command and General Staff College to Princeton to the Foreign Service School at Georgetown, all uniquely equipped General Petraeus in the post-9/11 era— to become deeply involved in all aspects of counterintelligence, counterinsurgency, and ultimately nation-building. In 2003, after 10 months with the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Petraeus resumed his association with and took command of the 101st Airborne Division, leading the division through fierce fighting south of Baghdad and finally leading them on the longest heliborne assault in history to the city of Mosul and the northern provinces of Iraq. It was there, after long, war-weary months of mixed and inconclusive results in Iraq, that Petraeus and the 101st began to redefine America's counterinsurgency strategy and proactively incorporate nation-building as a central military mission. And given the effects of the war and the diverse ethnic mix in the region, the results were remarkable. Building trust with the people, working with and empowering local leaders, emphasizing the judicious and selective use of force, expanding the stakeholders in success, reconstructing the infrastructure and the local economy—all became vital building blocks in restoring order and beginning the reconstruction process in northern Iraq. So too, they would become well-accepted critical ingredients in finally cutting the Gordian knot in the war-torn nation. Later, as head of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from 2005 to 2007, General Petraeus led the military efforts to literally rethink and rewrite America's counterinsurgency doctrine, which is now being taught throughout the military schools and training programs, and which became a vital part of the general strategy when he was chosen to take command of all multinational forces in Iraq on February 10, 2007. 19 months later, as General Petraeus gave over his command in Iraq, Secretary of Defense Gates presented him with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and stated that the general had, quote, "played an historic role and created the translation of a great strategy into a great success in very difficult circumstances." Secretary Gates went on to say, "History will regard you, General Petraeus, as one of our nation's greatest battle captains." One month later, in October 2008, General David Petraeus assumed command of the United States Central Command and is today responsible for U.S. operations in 20 countries spreading from Egypt to Pakistan, including Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. One of the most influential leaders in history once said, "If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants." No one could testify to such words more than General David Petraeus. To him, the giants on whose shoulders he has stood throughout his career are not only those who went before him and trained and inspired him, But more importantly, his giants are the men and women who have so gallantly served with him. They have been and continue to be the source of his inspiration at times of triumph and especially during times of trial, when the task has seemed insurmountable, when the doubters surrounded him, when the outcome seemed so elusive. From his first assignment as a platoon leader to head of the U.S. Central Command. It has been the men and women selflessly serving with him and for him that have allowed David Petraeus to see a bit further and help take the armed forces of our nation through one of the most challenging periods in our history. On behalf of a grateful nation, the National Defense University Foundation is proud to present the 2009 American Patriot Award to General David H. Petraeus and the extraordinary men and women of the U.S. Central Command.