Retired United States Army four-star general, seventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Eric Shinseki
Shinseki in 2009
7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office January 21, 2009 – May 30, 2014
President
Barack Obama
Deputy
W. Scott Gould Sloan D. Gibson
Preceded by
James Peake
Succeeded by
Bob McDonald
34th Chief of Staff of the United States Army
In office June 21, 1999 – June 11, 2003
President
Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Preceded by
Dennis Reimer
Succeeded by
Peter Schoomaker
28th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
In office November 24, 1998 – June 21, 1999
President
Bill Clinton
Preceded by
William W. Crouch
Succeeded by
Jack Keane
Personal details
Born
(1942-11-28) November 28, 1942 (age 81) Lihue, Hawaii, U.S.
Spouse
Patricia Shinseki
Children
2
Education
United States Military Academy (BS) Duke University (MA)
Military service
Allegiance
United States
Branch/service
United States Army
Years of service
1965–2003
Rank
General
Commands
Chief of Staff of the United States Army Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army Seventh United States Army Allied Land Forces Central Europe NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1st Cavalry Division 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division
Battles/wars
Vietnam War Bosnian War
Awards
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal (3) Purple Heart (2)[1][2]
Eric Shinseki's voice
Eric Shinseki testifies at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on the Veterans Health Administration Recorded May 15, 2014
Eric Ken Shinseki (/ʃɪnˈsɛki/; Japanese: 新関 健, romanized: Shinseki Ken, born November 28, 1942) is a retired United States Army general who served as the seventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2009–2014) and the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army (1999–2003).[3] Shinseki is a veteran of two tours of combat in the Vietnam War, in which he was awarded three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts.[4] He was the first Asian-American four-star general, and the first Asian-American Secretary of Veterans Affairs.[5]
^"Award citations, Eric Ken Shinseki". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
^"Biography, General Eric K. Shinseki". Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army. Army Historical Foundation. January 21, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
^Jaffe, Greg; O'Keefe, Ed (May 30, 2014). "Obama accepts resignation of VA Secretary Shinseki". Washington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^Eric Shinseki (May 12, 2009). "Remarks by Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, 2009 Secretary's Awards for Excellence in Nursing". U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
^"Overseas Contingency Operations Profiles". Asia Pacific Americans in the United States Army. United States Army. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
Eric Ken Shinseki (/ʃɪnˈsɛki/; Japanese: 新関 健, romanized: Shinseki Ken, born November 28, 1942) is a retired United States Army general who served as the...
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Post. Associated Press. January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012. "Shinseki absent from inaugural ceremonies". The San Diego Union-Tribune. January...
266 days Dennis Reimer EricShinseki 12 Tilley, JackJack L. Tilley (born 1948) 23 June 2000 15 January 2004 3 years, 206 days EricShinseki Peter Schoomaker...
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the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020. Bradner, Eric; Krieg, Gregory; Merica, Dan (March 11, 2020). "5 takeaways as Biden takes...
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deaths during the delay. On May 30, 2014, Secretary of Veterans Affairs EricShinseki resigned from office due to the fallout from the scandal. Despite the...
Kingston Trio James Shigeta, actor Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele musician EricShinseki, US Army general and 34th Chief of Staff William Herbert Shipman (1854–1943)...
each served one-year terms, were General William W. Crouch, General EricShinseki, General Montgomery Meigs, Lt. General Ronald Adams, Lt. General Michael...
training. These too were retired in 2004. In 1999, Army Chief of Staff EricShinseki laid out his vision for a lighter, more transportable force. The Army...
Secretary of Veteran Affairs, four-star general and Army Chief of Staff EricShinseki. Asian Americans have made many notable contributions to science and...
The plan was first proposed in 1999 by Army Chief of Staff General EricShinseki but was bitterly opposed internally by the Army. Before Schoomaker's...
Shear (2 awards) Alan Shepard Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. Forrest P. Sherman EricShinseki David M. Shoup John H. Sides William Sims William N. Small (2 awards)...
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