General John Shalikashvili was a great American.

Of all the great people I have served with or have met, there is one that stands out as one of the great giants of human kind.

You may already know of him as he was on “60 Minutes” on TV and announced to the world that he would not be one to have to write a letter to a widow to explain why he sent her husband into the Iranian desert to get a bag of bones when the Iranian government had an Air Force crew as hostages. Their fate was grim.

Also on TV news, when he was testifying before a congressional committee, he, in answer to a question, stated he would not speculate an answer to that question because there were too many variables, that there were things that were known and things unknown and more importantly unknown, unknown things.

He was chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from 1993-1997, the top military commander under the President.

I first met him in France at Orleans in the 1960s when we were both captains stationed at U.S. Army Communication Zone (COMZ). He was assigned to headquarters.

I was assigned to the second aviation company flying UIA “OTTERS” (one of the Dehaviland, Canadian made planes) in support of COMZ.

Occasionally, a military police car would deliver him with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist to the Saran Army Airfield for me to fly him to headquarters U.S. Army, Europe at Heidelberg, Germany.

Many years later, we were classmates at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Penn., Class of 1978.

We were both assigned after War College to the Pentagon.

Many years later he retired to the Fort Lewis area near Steilacoom, and I visited him for a few minutes.

He was born in Poland and came to the U.S. as a baby. He was drafted and went all the way to four-star general.

He spoke eight languages that I know of. This is truly an example of American opportunities in excellence!

Again, this is another story for our book to raise awareness for a need for a veterans home in Natchez.

 

Erle Drane is the Natchez Veterans Service Officer.