Gen. John Kelly, SOUTHCOM chief and Gold Star dad, to retire

quote:

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Kelly was an enlisted infantry Marine during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of sergeant before leaving active duty in 1972 to pursue a college degree. A Boston native, Kelly was commissioned in 1976, after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, and held a number of command and staff assignments in the years since.

Notably, as a one- and two-star general, Kelly spent about three years leading combat troops in Iraq. He was there in 2008, overseeing thousands of coalition forces in the volatile Anbar province, when the U.S. transferred security oversight for the region to the fledgling Iraqi military.

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LINK

It's always sad to see these hardened combat vets leave the service. Hopefully Vice Adm. Kurt Tidd is as steely a killer.