George W. Casey Jr.

George William Casey Jr.
Casey in April 2007
Born	(1948-07-22) July 22, 1948 (age 68) Sendai, Japan
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1970–2011
Rank	General
Commands held	Army Chief of Staff Multi-National Force – Iraq U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff 1st Armored Division Joint Warfighting Center 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
Battles/wars	Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia) Iraq War Operation Iraqi Freedom
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (3) Defense Meritorious Service Medal

George William Casey Jr. (born July 22, 1948) is a retired United States Army general who last served as the 36th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from April 10, 2007 to April 11, 2011. Casey previously served as Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq from June 2004 to February 8, 2007 and had been in the Army for his entire adult working life. He now resides outside of Boston.

Casey was born in Sendai during the Allied occupation of Japan. His father, George W. Casey Sr., was a West Point graduate who rose to the rank of Major General and served in two wars (the Korean War and the Vietnam War). His father commanded the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam and was killed on July 7, 1970 when his command helicopter crashed in South Vietnam en route to a hospital to visit wounded U.S. soldiers.

Casey, a military brat, grew up on Army posts in the U.S. and Germany and graduated from Boston College High School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. After high school, he applied to West Point, like his father, but was unsuccessful. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in international relations from Georgetown University in 1970 and later a Master of Arts degree in international relations from the University of Denver in 1980. Additionally, Casey worked for Vince Lombardi during one summer when the latter was coach of the Washington Redskins.