John M. Riggs

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John M. Riggs
Allegiance	U.S. Army
Years of service	1965-2005
Rank	Lieutenant General (retired as a Major General)
Commands	First US Army
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross

LtGen John M. Riggs, U.S. Army retired, is an American Army general who was retired, apparently as a result of his contradiction of the U.S. government stance on troop strength needed to support the actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. ^[1] . He had attained the rank of Lieutenant General (3-star), but was retired with the loss of one star, at the rank of Major General (2-star) in 2005. According to the Army, this was because of misuse of contractors — though the infractions were deemed to be so minor that they were not put into his permanent record.

In 2006, Riggs, along with a number of other retired senior U.S. military officials — LtGen. Gregory S. Newbold (USMC), MajGen Paul Eaton (U.S. Army), and Gen Anthony Zinni (USMC) — has come out calling 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." ^[2]

Contents 1 Decorations 2 Education 3 References 4 External links 5 Further reading

[edit] Decorations

Riggs was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions as a helicopter pilot during Vietnam.

[edit] Education

Riggs earned B.A in political science and a M.A. in personnel management and administration. In addition, Riggs completed a National Security Fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

[edit] References

1. ^ Bowman, Tom (2005). "General's career ends when he criticizes the Iraq War: Unceremonious End to Army Career", The Baltimore Sun, May 29, 2005. (URL accessed April 13, 2006)
2. ^ "Gen. Riggs Joins in Calling for Rumsfeld to Quit, All Things Considered, NPR radio interview, April 13, 2006. (URL accessed April 13, 2006)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Further reading

• 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)