General John Shalikashvili (Retired) Former General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Army Seattle, Washington

An American military general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikashvili was born June 27, 1936 in Warsaw, Poland. His family came to the United States in 1952, and he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1958. In a military career that spanned over 30 years, Shalikashvili served as NATO's 10th Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and became the first foreign-born Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In August 1991 he became assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He next served as Supreme Allied Commander for Europe (SACEUR) and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command from June 1992 to October 1993. General Shalikashvili was then appointed by President Bill Clinton as the 13th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Department of Defense), assuming his duties in October 1993. In this capacity, he served as the principal military adviser to the president, the secretary of defense and the National Security Council. Prior to serving as Chairman, he served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, and also as the Commander in Chief of the United States European Command. In September 1997 he stepped down as Chairman and retired from the Army.