Web www.historyguy.com

Biofiles George Stanley McChrystal (b. August, 14, 1954) General Stanley A. McChrystal is an American army general who was named the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan, and assumed command of those forces in May of 2009. General McChrystal is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. McChyrstal is a Green Beret and an Army Ranger, as well as a veteran commander in Special Operations, also known as "Black Ops." McChrystal served in Afghanistan as chief of staff of the military operations in 2001 and 2002. He also commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment and served tours in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Forces under General McChrystal's command found and captured Saddam Hussein and with tracking and killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Mesopotamia (al-Qaida in Iraq). General McChrystal replaced General David McKiernan as the commander in Afghanistan. McKiernan was replaced by McChrystal largely due to the fact McKiernan had a background in conventional warfare, while McChrystal's training and experience was predominantly in special operatons and unconventional warfare, like the type of warfare fought by the Taliban and al-Qaida. General McChrystal' Afghanistan strategy became apparent through public comments that in order to win, the United States must invest more extensively in Afghanistan than it had since American forces topple the Taliban government following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  In a confidential 66-page report leaked to the Washington Post, General McChrystal bluntly states that in order to win the war, he needs additional troops within by teh middle of 2010, or else the conflict in Afghanistan "will likely result in failure." General McChrystal publicly stated many of the points made in this leaked report: emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians over just engaging insurgents, restricting airstrikes to reduce civilian casualties, and sharply expanding the Afghan security forces and accelerating their training. He also signaled that he will seek to unify the effort of American allies that operate in Afghanistan, and possibly to ask them to contribute more troops, money and training.   Sources: Stanley A. McChrystal--New York Times A General Steps From the Shadows-- The New York Times In hunt for terrorists in Iraq, general is no armchair warrior--The Washington Times, October 2, 2006 Stanley McChrystal: The president's stealth fighter--The Guardian (UK) New York Times coverage of McChrystal report

Copyright © 1998-2009 Roger A. Lee and History Guy Media; Last Modified: 10.26.09 "The History Guy" is a Registered Trademark.

Lee, R. "The History Guy: General Stanley McChrystal (b. 1954)" http://www.historyguy.com/biofiles/mcchrystal_stanley_general.htm

Personal Information on Stanley McChrystal Education: United States Military Academy – BS – No Major United States Naval War College – MA – National Security and Strategic Studies Salve Regina University – MS – International Relations Military Schools Attended: Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses United States Naval Command and Staff College Senior Service College Fellowship Harvard University Military Career: Battles/wars served in: Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom U.S. Military Decorations and Badges: Defense Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster) Legion of Merit (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters) Bronze Star Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal Expert Infantryman Badge Master Parachutist Badge Ranger Tab Special Forces Tab Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge Print Sources Biofiles -Biography pages of people who impacted the United States and American history. L. Paul Bremer--American diplomat who served as head of the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq from 2003 to 2004. Julius Schwartz--Science Fiction and comic book editor Lorenzo de Zavala--First Vice-President of the Republic of Texas. William Howard Taft-President of the United States and later Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Benjamin Rush-- Signer of the Declaration of Independence, member of the Constitutional Convention, noted physician and ardent supporter for the abolition of slavery Thomas Nast-American political cartoonist General George Armstrong Custer-- Famous American Cavalry officer who died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. About Us Bio of the History Guy Commentary Site Map--revision in progress