WASHINGTON - Retiring Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey was hailed Friday as “a singular leader” who led the military with a steady hand during unsteady times. In an emotional, family-filled ceremony, Dempsey was at once funny and overwhelmed, noting that he felt very much on the last day of his 41-year career as he felt on his first.
Back then, as now, “I was a little nervous. I was humbled to wear the uniform of an Army officer ... and I was in love with a girl named Deanie,” Dempsey said, choking up. As he spoke, Dempsey’s wife, Deanie, his high school sweetheart, wiped her eyes and held one of their nine grandchildren close. One last song.
Dempsey’s last decade of service was dominated by Iraq. He assumed command of the then-Germany-based 1st Armored Division in Baghdad in 2003. He commanded the 1AD in Iraq for 14 months as the U.S. focused on reconstruction efforts to improve the countries water, sewage and electrical systems. Dempsey’s term, however, was also marked by deteriorating stability and the earliest indications of the insurgency to follow. Read More.