John M. Riggs
John M. Riggs is a retired United States Army general. He was retired in 2005. He had attained the rank of lieutenant general, but was retired with the loss of one star, at the rank of major general. According to the army, this was because of misuse of contractors, but some of Riggs' supporters argued that the retirement and demotion was a result of his contradiction of the United States government stance on troop strength needed to support the actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.[1]
John M. Riggs | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1965–2005 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general (retired as a major general) |
| Commands held | First United States Army 7th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (5) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal |
Education
Riggs is a 1964 graduate of Caruthersville, Missouri High School. Riggs earned Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Arts in personnel management and administration. In addition, Riggs completed a National Security Fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.[2]
Military career
He enlisted in the United States Army in 1965.[1] Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1969, he graduated from the Infantry Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served a combat tour in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Riggs commanded at company, battalion, brigade, division, and army levels, serving in Vietnam, Germany, Korea, Belgium and numerous assignments throughout the United States. Later assignments were as Assistant Division Commander for the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany; Deputy Commanding General United States Army Aviation School, Fort Rucker, Alabama; Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Plans, Washington, DC; and Commanding General 7th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Retirement
In 2006, Riggs, along with a number of other retired senior United States military officials—Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold (USMC), Major General Paul Eaton (Army), and General Anthony Zinni (USMC)—called for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over his handling of the Iraq War. In an interview with NPR's Michele Norris, Riggs said, "I think he should step aside and let someone step in who can be more realistic."[3]
References
- Bowman, Tom (2005). "General's career ends when he criticizes the Iraq War: Unceremonious End to Army Career" Archived 2006-04-21 at the Wayback Machine, The Baltimore Sun, May 29, 2005. (URL accessed April 13, 2006)
- Riggs, John M. (2003) " The Objective Force: A Holistic Approach to Army Transformation", Army AL&T Magazine, March – April 2003. (URL accessed April 13, 2006)
- "Gen. Riggs Joins in Calling for Rumsfeld to Quit, All Things Considered, NPR radio interview, April 13, 2006. (URL accessed April 13, 2006)
External links
- Bowman, Tom (2004)."Rumsfeld says more troops are unnecessary, costly", The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 2004. (URL accessed April 13, 2006)
- "Washington, D.C.: Army General Demoted For Criticizing War in Iraq", PEN USA, June 1, 2005.