[ad_1]
President Joe Biden hailed Odierno as a “hero of great integrity and honor”. In a joint statement, the President and First Lady Jill Biden recalled that Odierno spoke at the funeral of their son Beau, who served under Odierno in Iraq and died of brain cancer in 2015.
“Ray was a giant in military circles – dedicated first and foremost to the military he commanded and served alongside,” the Bidens said, adding that Odierno and his wife Linda stood up for children and families in the military.
“We stand alongside the Odierno family and all of our brave servicemen who were shaped and shaped by General Odierno during his life of service,” they said.
At 6ft 5in, Odierno was a towering figure. He played football as a caddy at West Point and retained an interest in the sport his entire life. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth wrote on Twitter on Saturday evening that Odierno embodied the values of West Point and the military itself.
“A leader who was larger than life, he will always be remembered for his selfless service to our nation and to our soldiers in and out of uniform,” she wrote.
Odierno has made three tours of Iraq. After his first, in 2003-04 as commander of the 4th Infantry Division, he was criticized by some for overly aggressive tactics which some believed fueled an insurgency. At the onset of high tide in December 2003, his soldiers participated in the capture of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. This success gave hope of crushing an incipient insurgency, but in 2004 the insurgency gained momentum and led to the murderous rise of Al-Qaida in Iraq.
Odierno returned to Iraq in 2008 and served for two years as the commander of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq. He then took over as head of US and coalition command in Baghdad, before leaving in 2010 as the fighting drew to a close. He was replaced in this post by General Lloyd Austin, who is now Secretary of Defense.
A native of Rockaway, New Jersey, Odierno graduated from the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1976 with a commission in field artillery. He has served in a wide range of roles in the military and the Department of Defense with multiple tours abroad including Iraq, Germany, Albania and Kuwait. As a three-star general, he was assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position that made him the chief military adviser to the secretary of state.
When Odierno retired in 2015, he was replaced as Army Chief of Staff by General Mark Milley, the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
In a ceremony marking his retirement from the military, then Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter described him as a commander whose tenacity and operational acumen gave civilian leaders great confidence.
“His towering presence calmed the confused, and his courage and compassion helped carry the burden of loss and sacrifice,” Carter said.
Three months ago, North Carolina State University announced that Odierno had joined its board of trustees. In 1986, he received a Master of Science in Nuclear Effects Engineering from the State of North Carolina. He was president of Odierno Associates, a consulting firm in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
[ad_2]
Source link