Rumsfeld Said to Pick Retired General to Head Army

AP News via New York Times ^ | June 10, 2003 | By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[68skylark]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a highly unusual move, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has selected a retired four-star general to become the next Army chief of staff, senior defense officials said Tuesday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the selectee is Peter J. Schoomaker, who retired from the Army after commanding the U.S. Special Operations Command from 1997-2000.

The choice, which has not been publicly announced and is subject to confirmation by the Senate, may raise some eyebrows inside the military because it is rare for a defense secretary to bypass senior active-duty generals in favor of a retired officer to be the Army's top general.

The current chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki, is retiring Wednesday.

Because no successor will have been nominated and confirmed by then, the vice chief of staff, Gen. John Keane, will temporarily assume Shinseki's job when he departs, officials said.

Rumsfeld had tried to persuade Keane to take the top job but he declined for family reasons, officials said.

Schoomaker began his Army career in 1970 as an armor officer but switched to the secretive world of special operations in the late 1970s. He graduated from the University of Wyoming, where he was a star football player, and served with a variety of armor and cavalry units.

From 1975-76, he completed the Marine Corps amphibious warfare course and in February 1978 joined the Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment, now known as the highly secretive Delta Force that specializes in counterterrorism missions.

He later was commander of the Army Special Operations Command and the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.

[Pukin Dog]

I'll let you take that one in the deliberately ambiguous way it was intended!

Well then, you can call me "Jolly"

We were all fools at one time or another. I could tell you some embarrassing stories about me in basic flight that would make you question why the Navy ever trusted me with anything expensive. Regards, -Jolly.

[Pukin Dog]

Thanks. My goal is a 777 captain's chair someday. I've got another 3 months of sitting around doing nothing until I report. I'm looking forward to getting paid to push buttons and use my fake southern accent talking to the passengers.

[AnAmericanMother]

:-D

[Fred Mertz]

Have you seen this yet? Shinseki retires in less than twelve hours and Rummy pulls this guy out of the mothball closet.

I hope Schoomaker's Waco links to George I, then Clinton-Reno-Foster don't stick to George II.

[leadpenny]

I can only imagine the upheaval that is taking place in the GO ranks as the purge continues.

[RSM]

During Desert Storm, General "Country Carl" Stiner was USSOCOM Commander.

[VaBthang4]

Yeah but Schwarz didnt like Stiner...as a matter of fact he didnt want Stiner in theatre...so another guy travelled out to Saudi and briefed him on the idea for SCUD hunting...then after the fact told Stiner.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[sargunner]

Bump for later..!

[SLB]

There is hope on the horizon. He was a Cav officer when first commissioned.

Fred - The O-6 I now work with was a plt ldr in a troop where Schoomaker was the XO. He ran 12 klicks to work very day with a full ruck and then ran home every evening the same. Even in his conventional assignments he had a leash on him to Spec Ops folks. He would come in and tell the CO he had to leave for a few weeks and the next thing that happened was Grenada was invaded or Panama or Haiti. The O-6 thinks he is probably squeeky clean on Waco, told Reno it was not a military situation, but they would like to observe.

[Matthew James]

Thanks!

[Fred Mertz]

So far, I've only heard good things about him, so I'm optimistic for a change.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!