Casey Retires After Four Decades of Army Service
(April 15, 2011) |
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates presents the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. during ceremonies at the Pentagon, April 11, 2011. The medal marks his retirement from active duty after more than 40 years of dedicated service. Casey's wife, Sheila, center, shared every step of his distinguished career, and later received the Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal for her work with Army families. Photo
by R.D. Ward |
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WASHINGTON, April 12, 2011 – Army Chief of Staff
Gen. George W. Casey Jr. expressed great pride
in his soldiers and their families as he ended
more than four decades of military service
yesterday.
“I couldn't be prouder of your
courage, your resilience and your commitment to
the values and ideals that make this country and
this Army great,” Casey, the 36th Army Chief of
Staff, wrote in a farewell letter to the troops.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called
Casey “a valued leader” yesterday during the
general's Pentagon retirement ceremony.
“The Army George Casey leaves behind, a force
that has borne the brunt of our nation's wars,
is more resilient, better trained, more balanced
and vastly more lethal because of his
leadership,” Gates said. “He served as a
stalwart advocate and guide for thousands of
brave |
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young men and women, and their loved ones.” |
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Before becoming chief of staff in 2007, Casey served as
commander of Multinational Forces Iraq. The general led the
force through a difficult time including Iraq's transition
to a sovereign government, three elections, and the growth
-- in size and capability -- of the Iraqi army and police,
Gates said.
Casey's “personal demeanor, steady
confidence and care for the well being of his troops served
as an important example for our young men and women on the
front lines,” the secretary said.
Upon becoming the
Army's chief of staff, Casey found that the service was out
of balance.
The Army at that time was “so weighed
down by current demands that we couldn't do the things we
needed to do to sustain the all-volunteer force and
simultaneously prepare ourselves for the full range of
missions,” Casey wrote.
Casey and his wife, Sheila,
journeyed to installations and units around the world to
speak to Army families and see firsthand how they were
handling the strain of simultaneously fighting two wars,
Gates said.
Under Casey's tenure as chief of staff,
the Army expanded programs to help America's wounded sons
and daughters receive needed treatment and recover from
war's physical and emotional trauma.
“George greatly
increased the number of behavioral health providers and
improved mental health screening for returning soldiers in
order to identify those at risk,” Gates said. “He pushed the
Army to reduce the stigma associated with combat stress and
traumatic brain injuries and to treat them as the injuries
they truly are.
“General Casey led the battle to
provide long-term support to survivors of the fallen,
creating the Army Survivor Outreach Services,” he added.
Casey also implemented alcohol treatment and suicide
prevention programs at Army installations around the country
to help returning soldiers struggling to adjust to life at
home.
When the president authorized an increase in
the size of the Army, Casey pushed to exceed the service's
recruiting goals.
Because of Casey's efforts “the
Army was able to end the practice of stop-loss and increase
soldiers' home station dwell time -– developments that have
greatly increased force readiness,” Gates said.
“Nearly 70 percent of the Army is now on a path to meet the
goal of two years at home for every year deployed,” the
secretary added. “As the drawdown in Iraq continues, and the
transition in Afghanistan begins, I hope the Army will be
able to achieve its longer-term goal of three years home for
every year deployed.”
During the ceremony, Gates
presented Casey with the Distinguished Service Medal. |
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2011 |
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