A wonderful public servant and patriot, Donald Rumsfeld,
has been given his final reward for a life of devoted service
to his fellow citizens, both in times of war and peace.
Passing on June 29, he was 88 years old.
A skilled cabinet member for four presidents, Secretary of
Defense for two, President George W. Bush (whom Rums-
feld served in this capacity) said of him that he carried out
his "duty ... with strength, skill, and honor." He also enjoyed
a good scrap, having been a successful wrestler while in college
and had crossed verbal swords with many in Washington,
including with other members of the Bush cabinet. Rumsfeld
was regarded by those with whom he had served as being equally
smart and combative, very patriotic and politically savvy.
In addition to his many years in Washington he spent nearly a
quarter of a century in corporate America, giving him an
appreciation of both the public and private sectors.
After retiring from government in 2008 Rumsfeld founded
the Rumsfeld Foundation to promote public service and to
work with charities that provide support for military families
and wounded veterans. Called "Rummy" by those who knew
him and those that never met him but certainly were familiar
with him and his work he was ambitious, energetic, witty,
and exuded personal warmth while also irritating some with
his brusque style; he employed biting humor to put his
verbal opponents off guard. He did, however, build a network
of people loyal to him who admired his work ethic, intelligence,
and impatience with those who didn't share his vision and ideas,
constantly arguing against them and his sense of urgency.
Although the Iraq War went on longer than Rumsfeld thought it
would and wanted it to, dealing him a painful setback, he scored
many more pluses than minuses during his time in Washington.
Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense when the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon were attacked by suicide hijackers from the
Middle East on September 11, 2001. He oversaw the U.S. invasion
Middle East on September 11, 2001. He oversaw the U.S. invasion
of Afghanistan and the toppling of the Taliban regime following
that fateful day. A solid fixture on television briefings during the
war, Rumsfeld was praised for his blunt, no-nonsense talk and
uncompromising style.
Thank you, Secretary Rumsfeld for your service. America was made
stronger for your having been in the right place at the right time.
Requiescat in Pace.
MEM
No comments:
Post a Comment