Gen. David Petraues - New Head of CIA - Officially Retires From Army

Posted Aug 31, 2011 by Howard Altman

Updated Aug 31, 2011 at 04:34 PM

After 37 years in uniform, the man dubbed “King David” for his role in transforming the War in Iraq has officially retired.

David Petraeus, until today a four star general who had previously run U.S. Central Command in Tampa, then commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is, of course, not fading away. He will direct the Central Intelligence Agency.

Today, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen praised Petraues during an official retirement ceremony, ranking him among the great military leaders ever to don the uniform.

Mullen said Petraeus set the “gold standard for command in wartime.”

Love him or hate him, Petraeus was a rock star among military leaders, probably the best known general of his generation.

Before taking over at Centcom, he commanded the 101st Airborne Division at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Multinational Security Transition Command/Iraq, Multinational Forces/Iraq.

“You’ve run the race well, swifter and surer than the rest, and you now stand among the giants not just in our time but of all time, joining the likes of Grant and Pershing and Marshall and Eisenhower as one of the great battle captains of American history,” Mullen said to Petraeus, according to the Armed Forces Press Service. “You’ve expanded our view of the possible, inspiring our military on to historic achievements during some of the most trying times America has ever known. And today you depart our ranks with the sincere thanks of a grateful nation.”

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