John Shalikashvili

Serving from 1993 to 1997, John Shalikashvili was appointed by President Clinton as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first immigrant to serve in this position. He advised the President on crises in places such as Haiti and the Balkans. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Shalikashvili was drafted two months after becoming a U.S. citizen in 1958. He served in Vietnam and also led the 1991 humanitarian operation that returned starving Kurds to Iraq. Updated 2007