John Shalikashvili, Polish-born American army general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1993–1997), died from a stroke he was , 75.

John Malchase David Shalikashvili (; was a United States Army General who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993 to 1997died from a stroke he was , 75.. He was born in Warsaw, Poland, to Georgian refugee parents.
Shalikashvili was the first foreign-born soldier to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served in every level of unit command from platoon to division. Shalikashvili died of a stroke in 2011.

(June 27, 1936 – July 23, 2011)

Early life and family

John Shalikashvili was a scion of the medieval Georgian noble house of Shalikashvili. His father, Prince Dimitri Shalikashvili (1896–1978), born in Gurjaani^[3] served in the army of Imperial Russia; Dimitri was a grandson of Russian general Dmitry Staroselsky. After the Bolshevik Revolution, Dimitri became a lieutenant-colonel in the army of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. When the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Georgia in 1921, Dimitri was on diplomatic service in Turkey. Dimitri then joined other Georgian exiles in Poland, where he met and married John's mother, Maria; she was Polish and of part German ancestry,^[4] and the daughter of Count Rudiger-Bielajew, a former Tsarist general. They had three children: Othar, John and Gale. Dimitri served in the Polish Army (along with other Georgian exiles) as a contract officer. In 1939, he fought against the German invasion of Poland. After the Polish defeat, Dimitri was demobilized. In 1941, he enlisted in the Georgian Legion, a force of ethnic Georgians recruited by Germany to fight against the Soviet Union.^[5] The unit was later incorporated into the SS-Waffengruppe Georgien^[6] and transferred to Normandy. Dimitri surrendered to British forces and was a prisoner of war until after the war. A collection of Dimitri Shalikashvili's writings are on deposit at the Hoover Institution. Meanwhile, Maria, John and his two brothers lived through the destruction of Warsaw. As the Red Army approached Warsaw in 1944, the family fled to Pappenheim, Germany, being reunited with Dimitri along the way.^[7] It was in Pappenheim in the closing days of WWII that John first laid eyes on American soldiers.^[8] His family stayed with relatives there in Pappenheim for eight years.
In 1952, when John was 16, the family emigrated to Peoria, Illinois. They were sponsored by Winifred Luthy, the wife of a local banker, who was previously married to Dimitri's cousin. The Luthys and the Episcopal Church helped the Shalikashvili family get started, finding jobs and a home for them. Dimitri worked for Ameren, and Maria was a file clerk at Commercial National Bank.
When John arrived in Peoria he spoke little English. He has recalled it this way:
Shalikashvili went to Peoria High School, where he was a long distance runner. He attended Bradley University in Peoria, and received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1958. He is a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. He later received a master's degree in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.
In May 1958, Shalikashvili and his family became American citizens. It was the first citizenship he ever held. He had previously been classified as "stateless", since he had been born to parents who had been refugees.

Army career

After graduation he had planned to work for Hyster Lift Truck, but received a draft notice in July 1958. He entered the Army as a private, enjoyed it, and applied to Officer Candidate School. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1959.
Shalikashvili served in various Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery positions as a platoon leader, forward observer, instructor, and student, in various staff positions, and as a company commander. He served in Vietnam in Quang Tri Province with Advisory Team 4 (redesignated Team 19 in September, 1968), Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), as a senior district advisor from 1968 to 1969. He was awarded a Bronze Star with "V" for heroism during his Vietnam tour. Immediately after his Vietnam service, he attended the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1970, he became executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery at Fort Lewis, Washington. Later in 1975, he commanded 1st Battalion, 84th Field Artillery, 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis. In 1977, he attended the U.S. Army War College and served as the Commander of Division Artillery (DIVARTY) for the 1st Armored Division in Germany. He later became the assistant division commander. In 1987, Shalikashvili commanded the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis.
Shalikashvili achieved real distinction with his considerable success as the commander of Operation Provide Comfort, the peacekeeping and humanitarian activity in northern Iraq after the Gulf War. This assignment involved intense and complex negotiations with the Turkish government, and tough face-to-face meetings with the Iraqi military.^[9] Another important achievement was the establishment of the Joint Vision 2010 program, which would transfer the United States military into one great and effective digitalized military force.
Shalikashvili was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 by President Clinton, effective October 25. He retired from the Army in September 1997, after serving for 38 years.

Post-military career and death

Shalikashvili was an advisor to John Kerry's 2004 Presidential campaign. He was a visiting professor at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. He served as a director of Russell Investments, L-3 Communications, Inc., Plug Power Inc., United Defense, Inc., the Initiative for Global Development,^[10] and the National Bureau of Asian Research.
Shalikashvili was married and had one son, Brant, a graduate of Washington State University.
Shalikashvili suffered a severe stroke on August 7, 2004.^[11]
In 2006 the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) launched the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies to recognize Shalikashvili for his years of military service and for his leadership on NBR’s Board of Directors..^[12]
In 2007, Shalikashvili penned an op-ed in the New York Times calling for a reversal of Don't ask, don't tell.^[13] A similar op-ed by him appeared in the June 19, 2009, issue of Washington Post.^[14] The policy was reversed July 22, 2011, the day before his death.
Shalikashvili died at the age of 75 on July 23, 2011, at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, from a stroke.^[15]

Decorations and badges

	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 Oak leaf clusters)
	Distinguished Service Medal, Army
	Legion of Merit (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
	Bronze Star (with Valor device)
	Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
	Air Medal
	Joint Service Commendation Medal
	Army Commendation Medal
	Presidential Medal of Freedom
	National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star in lieu of two campaigns
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Vietnam Service Medal with silver service star in lieu of five campaigns
	Southwest Asia Service Medal
	Humanitarian Service Medal
	Army Service Ribbon
	Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 5 device

• Inter-American Defense Board Medal
• Combat Infantryman Badge
• Parachutist Badge
• Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
• Army Staff Identification Badge
• Vietnam - Vietnam Gallantry Cross with two Silver Stars (Division citation) and one bronze star (Regiment citation)
• Vietnam - Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal (First Class)
• Vietnam - Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 bar
• Canada - Meritorious Service Decoration (Military Division), M.S.C. [4]
• Germany - Bund Naturschutz Medal [5]
• Poland - Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland^[16]
• In 1996, he was the first recipient of the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.

Ancestry

Ancestors of John M. Shalikashvil[hide]

16. Prince Ioseb Shalikashvili

8. Prince Ivane Shalikashvili

17. Princess Mariam Andronikashvili

4. Prince Ioseb Shalikashvili

18. Prince Noshrevan Chavchavadze

9. Princess Daria Chavchavadze

19. Princess Nino Vachnadze

2. Prince Dimitri Shalikashvili

20. Semyon Staroselsky

10. Dmitry Staroselsky

21. ?

5. Nina Staroselskaya

22. Prince Tadeoz Guramishvili

11. Princess Ekaterine Guramishvili

23. Elisabed N.

1. John M. Shalikashvil

24. Mikhail Belyaev

12. Alexei Belyaev

25. ?

6. Alexander Belyaev

26. Alexander Daler

13. Maria Daler

27. ?

3. Countess Maria Rüdiger-Belyaeva

28. George German Rüdiger

14. Count Fyodor Rüdiger

29. ?

7. Countess Maria Rüdiger

30. Yulii von Krusenstern

15. Sofia von Krusenstern

31. ?

 

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Elmer B. Staats, American public servant, Comptroller General of the United States (1966–1981) died he was , 97

Elmer Boyd Staats) was a public servant whose career from the late 1930s to the early 1980s was primarily associated with the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) (now the Office of Management and Budget, OMB) and the GAO. Staats was born June 6, 1914, in Richfield, Kansas, to Wesley F. and Maude (Goodall) Staats. Staats received his AB from McPherson College in 1935, his MA from the University of Kansas in 1936, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1939 died he was , 97. Married on September 14, 1940, to Margaret S. Rich, the couple had three children: David, Deborah, and Catharine. In 1939, Staats became a staff member in the Executive Office of the President, U.S. Bureau of the Budget. He held increasingly responsible positions at BOB until 1947, when he was promoted to assistant to the Director of the Bureau, then executive assistant to the director (1949–1950), before he held the position of Deputy Director (1950–1953 and 1958–1966). In 1966, Staats became Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO, holding that position until 1981. Elmer Boyd Staats: An Inventory of His Personal Papers, 1961-1963 in the John F. Kennedy Library; National Archives and Records Administration (Papers at JFK library).

(June 6, 1914 – July 23, 2011)

Career Overview

In the period from the Second World War until the early 1980s, Staats was a public servant whose career was primarily associated with the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) (now the Office of Management and Budget, OMB) and GAO. Elmer B. Staats: Government Ethics in Practice by H. George Frederickson, p. 214-215
Staats joined BOB in 1939 during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Biography of Elmer Boyd Staats: Member of The Ohio State University Accounting Hall of Fame and rose progressively from management analyst to section chief, to assistant to the director, to executive assistant to the director, to assistant director, and, finally, to deputy director under four Presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. Ibid, p. 215
Staats left BOB for four years from 1953–1958, Bio at Ohio St when he served as the executive officer of the National Security Council, but returned to BOB in 1958 and was reappointed deputy director in 1959 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ibid, p. 215
In 1966, he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to head the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office) (GAO) as Comptroller General of the United States. He served his complete 15-year term as Comptroller General lasting through the administrations of Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter and into the early months of the Reagan administration. Ibid, p. 215

• From 1984 to 1990, he was a member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. He was the first chairman of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board from 1990 to 1997. As of 2011, he is a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development, member and councilor of The Conference Board, and Senior Advisor, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Elmer Staats Short Bio at Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Personal Background

Staats was born on June 6, 1914, in Richfield, Kansas, the son and one of eight children of Wesley Forrest and Maude Goodall Staats. Staats' early life was spent on a farm in the Kansas wheat belt. Ibid, p. 214 In 1940 he married Margaret Rich, the daughter of Congressman Robert Fleming Rich of Pennsylvania, a textile manufacturer and banker who had a distinctly conservative record in Congress.The GAO Review: Spring 1966, p. 5/72, from Feb. 20, 1966 article by Raymond P. Brandt, contributing editor, St. Louis-Post Dispatch The couple had three children: David, Deborah, and Catharine. Papers at JFK library Staats was a member of the Cosmos and Chevy Chase Clubs and the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church of Washington, D.C.

Academic background

Staats was valedictorian of the 1931 graduating class of Sylvia High School in Sylvia, Kansas. Bio at Ohio St Staats attended McPherson College, operated by the Church of the Brethren in McPherson, Kansas, where he received a A.B. in 1935, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He then went to the University of Kansas, where he received an M.A. in political science and economics in 1936. After this, he entered the University of Minnesota’s doctoral program in political economy, earning his by a Ph.D. in 1939. Bio at Ohio St

Career in government service

Early Public Service Before Joining Federal Government (BOB) in 1939

Staats first entered public service in 1936, after graduating with his masters degree from the University of Kansas, when he spent that summer as a research assistant for the Kansas Legislative Council of Topeka. He was a member of the staff of the Public Administration Service of Chicago during 1937-38 while working on his doctorate at the University of Minnesota. He was a Fellow of the Brookings Institution in Washington during 1938-1939.

Direct Service to Presidents while at BOB and NSC from 1939-1966

Staats joined BOB (now OMB) during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was employed by the BOB from 1939 to 1953. At BOB, he served in the Division of Administrative Management (1939–43), in the War Agencies Section (1943–47); as its chief (1945–47). During the World War II period, Staats was responsible for organizing, financing, managing, and coordinating the principal civilian war agencies. After the war, Staats was promoted to assistant to the BOB director (1947), assistant director in charge of Legislative Reference (1947–49), executive assistant director (1949–50), and, following appointment by President Harry S. Truman, to the deputy director of the agency (1950–1953).
Staats left government service for a year after the Eisenhower Presidential transition, and during most of 1953 he served as research director for Marshall Field & Company. He returned to government service when he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve as Executive Officer of the Operations Coordinating Board of the National Security Council, which was responsible for coordinated implementation of United States foreign policies and operations in foreign countries. Staats served in this post from 1954-58.
In 1958, Staats returned to BOB and served as assistant director (September 1958-March 1959) before being reappointed deputy director by President Eisenhower (March 1959-61). Staats continued in the deputy director position under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Appointment as 5th Comptroller General of the United States in 1966

Staats left BOB to become the 5th Comptroller General of the United States in 1966. On February 11, 1966, President Johnson nominated Staats for the position of Comptroller General, which also involves serving as head of the GAO. The United States Senate Committee on Government Operations held a hearing on March 2, 1966 on the President's nomination of Staats to be Comptroller General, endorsed it on the same date, and on March 4, 1966 the United States Senate officially confirmed the nomination of Staats to become Comptroller General. Staats was sworn in as Comptroller General by President Johnson on March 8, 1966, at a ceremony at the White House.

Highlights of Staats's Tenure as Comptroller General from 1966-1981

Staats served as Comptroller General from March 8, 1966 until the expiration of the position's 15-year statutory term expired on March 3, 1981. As Comptroller General, Staats drew on his many years of government experience, including as a former Deputy Director of the Bureau of the Budget under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson, as he led GAO during a period of change and national turmoil. GAO: Working for Good Government Since 1921: Chapter 6, Elmer B. Staats: Broadening GAO's work, 1966-1981 by GAO Historian Maarju Krusten (GAO History 1966-1981)
In reflecting on Staats's tenure, a senior GAO manager referred to him in 1981 as "a pragmatic agent of good government," who viewed GAO's reports as "a way to achieve results rather than simply hitting someone over the head." Staats was a strong advocate of public service and constructive change, who worked to improve management throughout the government. Within GAO, he practiced a participatory management style, often relying on task forces to study job processes and organizational issues. GAO History 1966-1981 Staats focused on improving GAO's internal planning processes and on expanding its work and issue areas to more effectively serve the Congress. Not only did the Comptroller General broaden GAO's work, he also increased the agency's services to Congress. When Staats took charge of GAO in 1966, less than ten percent of the total effort of its professional staff went toward providing direct assistance to the Congress. By the time he left office in 1981, the number had risen to nearly 40 percent. GAO History 1966-1981
Under Staats, GAO worked on a number of issues of great national importance. Before the Federal Elections Commission assumed oversight of campaign expenditures in 1974, GAO's Office of Federal Elections undertook a number of reviews, some of which touched on Watergate. GAO also did important work on energy issues, consumer protection, the economy, and New York City's fiscal crisis. As the Vietnam War intensified and defense spending rose, Staats in 1966 opened an office in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. GAO's auditors worked in the field as well as in Saigon. Some of the fieldwork was done under hazardous circumstances. In 1969, six auditors narrowly escaped injury during a rocket attack on the United States base at Da Nang in Vietnam. GAO's Saigon office remained operational until the signing of peace accords in 1973. GAO History 1966-1981
During his tenure, Staats worked to improve governmental accountability. He revitalized GAO's work with the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program. Under Staats, GAO took a lead role in issuing auditing guidance. In 1970, the Bureau of the Budget and GAO agreed on the formation of a government auditing standards task force, which undertook a lengthy research and drafting process. As a result of the work of the task force, the Comptroller General issued in 1972 the first edition of the Standards for Audit of Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities & Functions, which came to be known as the "Yellow Book." In later years, GAO gave the book a more concise title, Government Auditing Standards, and updated its guidance periodically. In addition to issuing guidance to help state and local auditors, the Comptroller General played a key role in establishing intergovernmental audit forums in the 1970s. GAO History 1966-1981
As comptroller general, he served as the first chairman (1970–81) of the Cost Accounting Standards Board, and as a member of a number of Presidential and Governmental Advisory Bodies, including the Commission on Government Procurement (1971–73); President's Commission on Budget Concepts (1967–68); Commission on Federal Paperwork (1976–78); Treasury Department's Advisory Committee on Federal Consolidated Financial Statements (1976–79); National Advisory Committee for the Work in America, Inc. (1979–80); Chrysler Loan Guarantee Board (1980–81); Board of Governors, International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (1969–81), Technology Assessment Advisory Council (1972–81); Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (1966–81); and the President's Management Improvement Council (1979–80). Bio at Ohio St GAO changed radically during the Staats period. These changes generally reflected the shift to program evaluation, the emergence of a host of new foreign and domestic problems, and the Congress’s increasing assertiveness in its relationships with the executive branch. Staats provided effective leadership as GAO strove to meet the new challenges, as he was widely respected in the Congress and in the government as a whole. GAO History 1921- 1991, Roger R. Trask, GAO History Program, Nov. 1991

[edit] Service after GAO

After serving as Comptroller General, Staats became the president and later chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, a position he continues to hold as of 2011.

Other Professional Activities and Associations

In addition to his government service, Staats made contributions though his numerous professional activities and associations. Staats has held membership on the Board of Trustees of the National Institute of Public Affairs (1969–77) and the Public Administration Service, Chicago (1967–74). He was chairman of the Conference on the Public Service, Brookings Institution (1958–60), and during 1979-80 he was a member of the Committee for the National Congress on Church-Related Colleges and Universities. He also served on

·         the Board of Directors of the Eisenhower Foundation;

·         the Board of Trustees of the Kerr Foundation

·         the Board of Trustees of the George C. Marshall Foundation; and

·         the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Program.

He also has served on the board of directors of several corporations.
Over the years Staats has maintained a close relationship with educational institutions. He has served as a lecturer at American University (1941–43) and George Washington University (1944–46). During the period 1947-53, he was on the Advisory Council of the Department of Politics at Princeton University. During 1974-80 he was on the Visiting Committee of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
In addition, Staats served on the Board of Trustees of McPherson College (1969–79) and the American University (1966–80). He has also been a member of the visiting committees of several universities.
Staats was an honorary member of the faculty of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (1973; member, Board of Advisors 1974-77), and he has been a member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University since 1981.
Staats has also been active in numerous professional organizations, including:

·         The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA): Staats was a founding member of the organization in 1939, served as as president of ASPA's Washington, D.C. chapter (1948-49), and as ASPA's national president (1961-62) and vice president (1959-61).

·         American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS): Staats has been a member of the Board of Directors (1966-present).

·         National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA): Staat was a founding member of the organization in 1967, and has served as a member of the NAPA Board of Trustees (1967-85; chairman, 1985).

·         The Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) member (1977-81)

·         Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) member since its formation in 1984.

·         He has also been active for many years in the Conference Board, the American Management Association (AMA), and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA).

Staats has written many articles for professional journals and has made numerous speeches to professional organizations. Stasts holds membership in Phi Beta Kappa (1936), Pi Sigma Alpha (1936), Beta Alpha Psi (1966), Alpha Kappa Psi (1971), and Beta Gamma Sigma (1973).

Honors and awards

Staats held honorary degrees from eight universities and distinguished service awards from the University of Kansas and the University of Minnesota. Other honors include Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Psi, the Rockefeller Public Service Award, the Productivity Award of the American Productivity Center, the Medal of Honor of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Hubert H. Humphrey Medal, and the Public Service Achievement Award of Common Cause. Staats also received the Public Service Medal of the Holland Society of New York, the Executive Government Award of the Opportunities Industrial Corporation of America, and the Public Service Award of the General Accounting Office. Staats was named an honorary member of the National Security Industrial Association and elected to the Accounting Hall of Fame in 1981.
Among the many honors bestowed upon him were the Rockefeller Public Service Award (1961); Alumni Achievement Award, University of Minnesota (1964); Distinguished Service Citation, University of Kansas (1966); Distinguished Service Award, University of Hartford Center for Study of Professional Accounting (1973); Warner W. Stockberger Achievement Award (1973); Person of the Year Award, Washington Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (1975); Abraham 0. Smoot Public Service Award, Brigham Young University (1975); American Association for Budget and Program Analysis Award (1976); Evaluation Research Society Federal Executive Award (1980); Productivity Award, American Productivity Center (1980); Medal of Honor, AICPA (1980); Engineer of the Year Award, San Fernando Valley Engineers Council (1980); and the Thurston Award, International Institute of Internal Auditors (1988).
Staats was an honorary member of the International City Management Association (1976), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (1978), National Security Industrial Association (1981), and an honorary life member of the Municipal Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (1980).

John M. Shalikashvili
June 27, 1936 – July 23, 2011 (aged 75)
General John Shalikashvili, US Army (Ret.)
Nickname	General Shali
Place of birth	Warsaw, Poland
Place of death	Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1958–1997
Rank	General
Commands held	Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star (with "V" Device) Meritorious Service Medal (4) Air Medal
Relations	Joan (Zimpelman) Shalikashvili (wife), Brant Shalikashvili (son) Gunhild Bartsch (wife, died 1965)
Other work	Visiting professor, Stanford University Director, Frank Russell Trust Company Director, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. Director, Plug Power Inc. Director, United Defense Industries, Inc.

 

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