Eric Shinseki

Eric Shinseki
Eric Shinseki
	Official portrait, 2009
7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
	In office; 21 January 2009 – 30 May 2014
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	W. Scott Gould; Sloan D. Gibson
Preceded by	James Peake
Succeeded by	Bob McDonald
34th Chief of Staff of the United States Army
	In office; 21 June 1999 – 11 June 2003
President	Bill Clinton; George W. Bush
Preceded by	Dennis Reimer
Succeeded by	Peter Schoomaker
28th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
	In office; 24 November 1998 – June 21, 1999
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	William W. Crouch
Succeeded by	Jack Keane
Personal details
Born	28 November 1942; Lihue, Hawaii, U.S.
Spouse	Patricia Shinseki
Children	2
Education	United States Military Academy (BS); Duke University (MA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1965–2003
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of Staff of the United States Army; Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army; Seventh United States Army; Allied Land Forces Central Europe; NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina; 1st Cavalry Division; 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division; 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division; 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War; Bosnian War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2); Army Distinguished Service Medal (2); Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Air Force Distinguished Service Medal; Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit (2); Bronze Star Medal (3); Purple Heart (2)

Eric Ken Shinseki (/ʃɪnˈsɛki/; Japanese: 新関健, romanized: Shinseki Ken, born 28 November 1942) is a retired United States Army general who served as the seventh United States secretary of veterans affairs from 2009 to 2014 and as the 34th chief of staff of the Army from 1999 to 2003. Shinseki is a veteran of two tours of combat in the Vietnam War, in which he was awarded three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts. He was the first Asian-American four-star general, and the first Asian-American Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Eric Shinseki
Official portrait, 2009

7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office 21 January 2009 – 30 May 2014
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	W. Scott Gould Sloan D. Gibson
Preceded by	James Peake
Succeeded by	Bob McDonald
34th Chief of Staff of the United States Army
In office 21 June 1999 – 11 June 2003
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Preceded by	Dennis Reimer
Succeeded by	Peter Schoomaker
28th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
In office 24 November 1998 – June 21, 1999
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	William W. Crouch
Succeeded by	Jack Keane

Personal details
Born	(1942-11-28) 28 November 1942 Lihue, Hawaii, U.S.
Spouse	Patricia Shinseki
Children	2
Education	United States Military Academy (BS) Duke University (MA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1965–2003
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of Staff of the United States Army Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army Seventh United States Army Allied Land Forces Central Europe NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1st Cavalry Division 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Bosnian War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal (3) Purple Heart (2)