Clinton Honors Shalikashvili
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WASHINGTON — Between the booming of cannon and the roar of fighter planes, President Clinton bade farewell Tuesday to Gen. John M. Shalikashvili as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A native of Warsaw, Poland, whose first taste of warfare came at age 3 when Hitler’s tanks rolled over his native land, Shalikashvili brought his military career to a close with a full-dress military ceremony, and much of official Washington looking on.
In a rare honor, both Clinton and Vice President Al Gore attended the ceremony, and, amid a host of military awards, Clinton draped the Medal of Freedom around Shalikashvili’s neck, bestowing upon the 61-year-old general the nation’s highest civilian honor.
The ceremony at Ft. Myer, Va., marked the end of a military career that began 39 years ago when Shalikashvili was drafted into the Army. He had come to America after World War II, to Peoria, Ill., and honed his English by watching John Wayne movies.
Also in the audience was Shalikashvili’s successor, Army Gen. Henry H. Shelton, who was sworn in later Tuesday.
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