Raymond T. Odierno, a retired military general who commanded American and coalition forces in world-regions at the height of the war and capped a 39-year career by serving as the Army’s chief of staff, has died, his family said Saturday. He was 67.
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Odierno died Friday; the family declined to say where. It said funeral and interment information was not yet available.
A native of Rockaway, New Jersey, Odierno graduated from the U.S. military” target=”_blank”>Military< commander in Baghdad. He was succeeded in that post by Gen. Lloyd Austin, who is now the secretary of defense. Odierno served as commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq from 2006 to 2008.
US ARMY SOLDIER WHO DIED LESS THAN 3 WEEKS BEFORE END OF WWII IN EUROPE POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDALS
When Odierno retired in 2015, he was succeeded as Army chief of staff by Gen. Mark Milley, the current Joint Chiefs chairman.
At a ceremony marking his retirement from the Army, then-Defense Secretary Ashton Carter described him as a commander whose tenacity and operational savvy gave civilian leaders great confidence.
“His commanding presence calmed the confused, and his courage and compassion helped carry the burden of loss and sacrifice,” Carter said.
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Soldiers of his 4th Infantry were involved in the capture of Iraq’s deposed president, Saddam Hussein, in December 2003. That success gave hope to quashing an emerging insurgency, but in 2004 the insurgency gained greater momentum and led to the deadly rise of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Three months ago, North Carolina State University announced that Odierno had joined its board of trustees. During his military career he earned a Master of Science degree in nuclear effects engineering from North Carolina State. He was president of Odierno Associates, a consulting firm in Pinehurst, us-regions.
