[September 01, 2011] EDITORIAL: Petraeus has served country with high honor Tweet Sep 01, 2011 (Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Gen. David Petraeus has dedicated a majority of his adult life to serving this country proudly and with distinction and for that, he deserves to be praised. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1974, Petraeus worked his way through the ranks and gained much respect from his peers. Although the four-star general is retiring from the military after 37 years of service to become the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, his contributions and successes in Iraq and Afghanistan will always be remembered. He will rightly be remembered as a dedicated soldier who, in 2007-2008, implemented the surge strategy, which turned the tide in Iraq against rising insurgent violence. At a September 2008 ceremony in Baghdad marking the end of Petraeus' 19 months in command, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates rightfully said of Petraeus that he dealt a "tremendous, if not mortal blow" to an insurgency that, two years earlier, seemed beyond U.S. or Iraqi government control. Petraeus is also credited with co-authoring with Marine Gen. James Mattis an updated manual on how to fight counterinsurgency campaigns. These tactics proved their worth in Iraq. President Barack Obama saw the terrific work that Petraeus was doing and knew that this man was the right one to lead the fight against a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Obama ordered Petraeus to Afghanistan in 2010, and the tide there slowly turned as well because of Petraeus' vast knowledge of how to fight an insurgency. These are just some of Petraeus' multiple accomplishments while in uniform, but his list of accolades are very long and beyond impressive. In his new position as CIA director that begins next week, Petraeus will still be involved in countering al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. We believe Petraeus was a fine pick by the Obama administration to lead the CIA and that he will provide outstanding leadership in this new position. Petraeus deserves praise for his 37 years of military service. Thank you, general, for all you have done and will continue to do for our wonderful country. ___ (c)2011 the Daily News (Bowling Green, Ky.) Visit the Daily News (Bowling Green, Ky.) at www.bgdailynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]