Donald Rumsfeld, born July 9, 1932
This isn't in relation to any "buzz" in the Blogosphere at the moment, but the AP story made me ask myself, who are these people to criticize this man?
This 74 year old man has spent the majority of his life in service to America in one form or another. He has seen and been involved with more of our governmental issues than almost anyone else in history and was serving this country before some of us were even born.
His motive? Love of this country.
For those of you who do not know Rumsfeld's complete record, let me fill you in.
Mr. Rumsfeld attended Princeton University on academic and NROTC scholarships (A.B., 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. In 1957, he transferred to the Ready Reserve and continued his Naval service in flying and administrative assignments as a drilling reservist until 1975. He transferred to the Standby Reserve when he became Secretary of Defense in 1975 and to the Retired Reserve with the rank of Captain
in 1989.
In 1957, he came to Washington, DC to serve as Administrative Assistantto a Congressman. After a stint with an investment banking firm, he waselected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois in 1962, at the age of 30, and was re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968.
Mr. Rumsfeld resigned from Congress in 1969 during his fourth term to join the President's Cabinet. From 1969 to 1970, he served as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity and Assistant to the President. From 1971 to 1972, he was Counsellor to the President and Director of the Economic Stabilization Program. In 1973, he left Washington, DC, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium (1973-1974).
In August 1974, he was called back to Washington, DC, to serve as Chairman of the transition to the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. He then became Chief of Staff of the White House and a member of the President's Cabinet (1974-1975). He served as the 13th U.S. Secretary of Defense, the youngest in the country's history (1975-1977).
From 1977 to 1985 he served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Co., a worldwide pharmaceutical company. The successful turnaround there earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981). From 1985 to 1990 he was in private business.
Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Corporation from 1990 to 1993. General Instrument Corporation was a leader in broadband transmission, distribution, and access control technologies. Until being sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman of the Board of Gilead Sciences, Inc.,
a pharmaceutical company.
Before returning for his second tour as Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld chaired the bipartisan U.S. Ballistic Missile Threat Commission, in 1998, and the U.S. Commission to Assess National Security Space Management and Organization, in 2000.
During his business career, Mr. Rumsfeld continued his public service in a variety of Federal posts, including:
* Member of the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control (1982 - 1986);
* Special Presidential Envoy on the Law of the Sea Treaty (1982 - 1983);
* Senior Advisor to the President's Panel on Strategic Systems (1983 - 1984);
* Member of the U.S. Joint Advisory Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1983 - 1984);
* Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East (1983 - 1984);
* Member of the National Commission on Public Service (1987 - 1990);
* Member of the National Economic Commission (1988 - 1989);
* Member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University (1988 - 1992);
* Member of the Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1989 - 1991); and
* Member of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission (1999 - 2000).
While in the private sector, Mr. Rumsfeld's civic activities included service as a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the boards of trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and the National Park Foundation, and as Chairman of the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Inc.
Awards
* The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ford (1977)
* Donald Rumsfeld was awarded the Royal Order of the Intare by King Kigeli V of Rwanda. [22]
* George C. Marshall Medal by the U.S. Army Association (1984)
* Woodrow Wilson Medal by Princeton University (1985)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal (1993)
* Lone Sailor Award by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation (2002)
* Statesmanship Award by the U.S. Assoc of Former Members of Congress (2003)
* James H. Doolittle Award by the Hudson Institute (2003)
* Ronald Reagan Freedom Award by the Reagan Library (2003)
* Gerald R. Ford Medal presented by President Ford and the For Foundation (2004)[23]******
I see this American Icon being slammed, slandered and second guessed in the news and it truly infuriates me. Is this how we thank those that serve our country?
This man, by all rights, should be living his life in retirement, relaxing on a beach somewhere, sipping martinis. Instead, he is trying to make our world safer for us.
What do we give him in return? Insults, accusations and disrespect. This needs to stop.
