Shalikashvili, John Malchase David

Shalikashvili, John Malchase David (shälē'käshvē`lē), 1936–, U.S. army general, b. Poland. Drafted into the army, he became a commissioned officer in 1959, served in Vietnam (1968–69) as an adviser, and rose (1989) to lieutenant general. He led the 9th Infantry (1987–89) and was deputy commander in chief of the U.S. Army in Europe (1989–91) and commander of NATO forces (1992–93). After the Persian Gulf War in 1991 he commanded an international force that airlifted food to and provided protection for the Kurds of northern Iraq. In 1993, Shalikashvili became the first foreign-born chairman (1993–97) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.