Is Eric K Shinseki the Next Great AA Leader? | Asian American Issues

ost who know of the brave sacrifices made by Japanese American fighting men during World War II -- while so many of their relatives had been interned as enemy aliens -- are surprised and moved to learn that today a JA occupies the U.S. Army's top job. General Eric K. Shinseki, West Point grad and thrice-wounded veteran of the Vietnam War, became the Army's 34th Chief of Staff on June 22, 1999.

Nor has Shinseki's rise to the top been at the expense of his heritage. As much a literate wordsmith as a decorated warrior, he was careful to infuse his arrival ceremony speech with an eloquent homage to the sacrifices that laid the foundation for his own ascension:

In this family are members who served with Senator Inouye in the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Though they never thought about it in this way, they and the other men of the 442nd, the 100th Battalion, the Military Intelligence Service, and the 1399th Engineers, bought for me and my generation our birthrights as American citizens. Because of what they, and others of their generation, did on those distant battlefields so many years ago, I have lived my life without suspicion, without limitation, with the full rights and privileges of citizenship, and with the opportunity to compete.

Three years into his four-year term, Shinseki has distinguished himself as a history-making Chief of Staff. Predecessors have generally kept a low profile while waging intra-service turf wars for budgets and weapons systems. Despite a measured, almost scholarly, personal style, Shinseki was quickly thrust into a high-profile role because of his ambitions for his beloved Army. His very first speech outlined his commitment to transforming the Army into a mobile fighting force configured to respond swiftly to farflung crises:

Today, our heavy forces are too heavy and our light forces lack staying power. We will address those mismatches. Heavy forces must be more strategically deployable and more agile with a smaller logistical footprint, and light forces must be more lethal, survivable, and tactically mobile.

     This objective put Shinseki on a collision course with the defense establishment which has seen the Army's primary role as staying ready to fight two simultaneous land wars using tanks and artillery pieces. This doctrine is a holdover from the Cold War when military planners worried about heavily armored communist-block armies overrunning central Europe and the Corean peninsula.

     But with the Soviet collapse a decade behind us, the U.S. military will more likely face threats from terrorists, criminal organizations, fratricidal upheavals and natural disasters, Shinseki has argued. He has pushed tirelessly to create momentum for an epochal transformation. His passionate and articulate testimony has prodded Congress to pass the appropriations needed to begin realizing the vision of a light but lethal elite army. Billions have been budgeted for exotic technologies like strength-enhancing body armor, exotic ammunitions and light-deflecting camouflage suits. More billions are being used to upgrade the capabilities of ordinary soldiers on a par with special forces.

     As a token of that goal, in October of 2000 Shinseki ordered morale-boosting black berets to replace the old standard-issue overseas caps and fatigue caps. That raised the hackles of the Army Rangers for whom black berets had become a symbol of their elite capabilities. It also triggered a congressional review of the uniform change. Shinseki solved that impasse by having the Rangers switch to tan berets only to be broadsided by a mass media expose that 16% of the Army's order of 4.8 million berets had gone to a British firm that would have them sewn in China in violation of a procurement law requiring military garments to be made in the U.S. The black berets and Shinseki's crusade for transformation of the Army weathered the fiasco. A sense of urgency was added to his vision by the horrendous events of 9/11 and its aftermath .

     Eric K. Shinseki was born November 28, 1942 in Lihue, Kauai. As a boy he was inspired by the stories of uncles who had fought in Europe with the 442nd and the 100th. He did well enough in high school to win admission to West Point. Within a few months of his graduation in 1965 he was a second lieutenant on his way to Vietnam to serve as an artillery forward observer. On a second combat tour he commanded a tank squadron. During those Vietnam tours he was wounded three times and displayed enough courage and leadership to earn the devotion of his men. His sergeant Les Cotton (now the sheriff of Navarro County, Texas) called him "the finest person and the best officer I have ever served with". On one occasion Shinseki's injuries were so severe that Cotton assumed he would die in the hospital . Only 30 years later did he learn that Shinseki had survived.
     Shinseki's valorous displays of leadership under fire won him two Distinguished Service Medals, the Bronze Star and several Purple Hearts -- and put him on the Army's fast track. As preparation for the climb to the top, he attended National War College and Duke University where he got a masters in English literature. That degree would give him the opportunity, among various assignments around the country, to teach at West Point. As he rose into the general ranks, Shinseki served 10 years at various commands in Europe.

     In 1994 Major General (two-star) Shinseki returned to take command of the illustrious 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. In July 1996, along with a promotion to lieutenant (three-star) general, he was brought into the Pentagon to serve as a deputy chief of staff of the Army -- equivalent to an executive V.P. at the headquarters of a major corporation. A year later he was given a fourth star and returned to Germany to assume command of the U.S. Army in Europe, then command of NATO land forces in Central Europe. In mid 1997 came a 15-month assignment that may have inspired his Army transformation crusade -- command of NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia.

     Around Thanksgiving of 1998 Shinseki was recalled to the Pentagon as Vice Chief of Staff, the penultimate step before winning the Army's top office in June, 1999.

     Eric Shinseki is married to the former Patricia K. Yoshinobu, a J.A. from Hanapepe, Kauai. They have two children, Lori and Ken.

     On his appointment to Chief of Staff, the media pegged Shinseki as a savvy political player who knows how to marshall support inside and outside the Army. That assessment has been borne out by the remarkable progress Shinseki has made in kicking off the large-scale transformation of a once hidebound Army. The big question is what Shinseki will do when his term as Chief of Staff expires in June, 2003. One possibility is to enter politics and seek the seat of elderly Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), himself a war hero who had lost an arm taking a hill in Italy during WW II.

     Is Eric K. Shinseki the likely successor to Daniel Inouye? Or will he go even further to attain the national ledership role that has eluded Inouye?

CONTINUED BELOW

WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. Vote and continue this and related discussions at the new Interactive Area. --Ed.]

Oh please this has nothing to do with race ok. Shinseki is not sympathetic to this administration and closely associated with high Democrats. Not only that the last chairman of the JCS appointed by President Clinton was in the Air Force so General Myers is not the first Air Force officer to be CJCS in 30 years. In fact the CJCS position is rotating. Shinseki is thinking of retiring because Inoyue is stepping down and wants to tap him as a replacement in the Senate. So please do not make this about race when it is not. AC Dropout is right in stating that part of this is about the disagreements over Iraq
Asian American GOPartyGuy
Saturday, March 29, 2003 at 21:23:23 (PST) [216.165.65.39]

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Well, the news is spreading that Rumsfeld severely underestimated the resolve and strength of the Iraqi's. New Yorker Magazine is going to report as such this Monday.

He ignored the advice of his advisors, including Tommy Franks, to delay the start of the war until more troops and supplies could be established. Obviously Rummy thought that the Iraqi troops were going to fold and this would be a cake walk.

Now weapons and supplies are starting to run out including tomhawks and precision guided missile.

Hasn't Rummy and company learned anything about guerilla warfare and troop resolve from the Vietnam conflict?
tb
Saturday, March 29, 2003 at 18:30:22 (PST) [12.240.4.250]

If true, that's too bad AC dropout, because people are starting to question military tactics. Specifically, some feel that MORE troops are needed than what was originally planned, so Shinseki would have been right in his initial assessment.

You see, all of the decision makers like Rumsfeld and company are sticking to their guns that their original plans were valid, that this isn't going to be a quick and easy war. But let's be honest here, many people thought this was going to be an easy walkthrough because of the original gulf war. But there's a HUGE difference between fighting to liberate Kuwait and going into Baghdad. The Iraqi troops have proven to be very tough.
tb
Friday, March 28, 2003 at 10:32:22 (PST) [12.240.4.250]

I think you guys need to tame down the cry of racism in this situation. The fact is, as one poster pointed out, General Shinseki is and has always been viewed as a Clintonite. He has also proposed some revolutionary ideas regarding transforming the Army into more a reactive fore, rather than its traditional role as a large scale garrisoned force. Many laud his efforts in this regard as incredibly forward thinking and long in comming, yet his proposal to deactivate large armor forces has obviously ruffled many powerful forces within the military. The famously precise and demanding Rumsfeld jumped all over Shinseki regarding the troop estimate because Shinseki was obviously guessing and wasn't prepared for the question.

His current position is extremely political; more so than the operational roles of Generals Franks or Meyers whom you see on TV. Without explicitly stating his political affiliation, his power base is obviously in the Democratic party (Clinton appointee, relationship with Inouye, from Hawaii, etc). He reports to a Republican Administartion. Do the math.

Honestly guys, General Shinseki didn't get to where is (and neither did Secretary Powell) by crying racism at the drop of a hat. In fact, it's a sure fire way to stiffle anyone's career. Keep it in your back pocket when and if you really need to use it.
dss
Friday, March 28, 2003 at 09:03:08 (PST) [208.165.224.68]

Well, that's my kind of leader - serves it up real and stands up for the men BELOW him, even if it puts HIS own neck on the line. But...Bush & Rumsfield don't want reality-checks, they want YES-men, so it was probably a suicidal career move. And he obviously had to know that - so I give him extra big-up props for still speakin' the truth.
Da man got balls!
Friday, March 28, 2003 at 08:54:06 (PST) [148.104.5.7]

In addition to my previous comments, it's kind of akward for the chairman of the joint chief of staff to be coming from a different branch other than the traditional Army. The current chairman is Gen. Myers from the Airforce, the first in like 30 years, then the Vice Chairman is a General from the Marines, the first time ever in history. Good thing they didn't choose one from the coast guard or navy.

From my observation, this is very unusual. The only conclusion I can think of is that Shinseki has been discriminated because of his race and/or the Bush administration dislikes him because he was appointed by the Clinton administration.
where's shinseki?
Friday, March 28, 2003 at 03:26:06 (PST) [64.171.4.194]

Here is the article that basically describe the rift between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the White House.
Link
AC Dropout
Thursday, March 27, 2003 at 14:01:08 (PST) [24.136.115.189]

From what I gathered from various news sources it would seem General Shinseki has lost favor in the Bush administration. Basically it is due to the fact he believed that we would need 2 to 3 times the forces neccessary to accomplished what Bush had in his original time frame. And would need about 250,000 soilders in Iraq after the war was over.

Bush was not happy with his stance.

Hence, he is the new lame duck in the Army and annouced that he might be retiring this summer.
AC Dropout
Thursday, March 27, 2003 at 09:16:33 (PST) [24.136.115.189]

Geoff explains it best. You hardly see other chiefs of staff on the news either.

Fox news does have one asian american commentator/expert that appears regularly. His name is Wade Ishimoto, a retired captain and former Delta Force operative. He was there from the beginnings of Delta Force, and was present during that tragic attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran.
TB
Thursday, March 27, 2003 at 00:31:30 (PST) [12.240.4.250]

is shinseki still the general? every time i turn on the t.v. to see what is goin on with the war, the only general i see is that white guy (sorry, forgot his name as of now.)
Mr. Hann
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 22:58:07 (PST) [24.242.251.55]

You're right this guy is not getting any respect. I never even heard of him until I read about him on this website.
AA
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 20:32:26 (PST) [172.174.179.243]

Man, this general worked so hard, and he doesn't get respect, just because of his race and ethnicity. I have seen this phenomenon occur in many TV shows, of not airing,..or hardly airing the faces of Asian people....generals like Shinseki,...athletes,...group shows (like Survivor)...etc....
Man! Where's the respect!!!!!!!
Yookgehjang
Tuesday, March 25, 2003 at 22:30:37 (PST) [66.171.15.192]

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