General News: Village Native to Top Military Command in Iraq
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| General David Petraeus |
January 05, 2007
Lt. General David Petraeus, a native of Cornwall-on-Hudson, has been tapped by President George Bush to become the chief commander in Iraq, according to ABC news, which broke the story.
Petraeus, 54, served two tours in Iraq, most recently as the commander in charge of training Iraqi forces in 2004. Since 2005 he has been the commander of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, the Army's training center for field-grade officers. Previously, he commanded the 101st Airborne Division.
Petraeus, who grew up in the village, is a 1970 graduate of Cornwall Central High School. His father, Sixtus, a Dutch sea captain, settled in Cornwall-on-Hudson after World War Two and he and his wife raised a family in their home on Avenue A.
David Carnright, who was a year behind Petraeus in school, remembers the Lt. General as a kid. "He was a Homeland kid," says Carnright, who grew up in the village. "We were friends, everyone kind of hung out together.. He played Little League and we played tennis together." Carnright says that Petraeus was a good soccer player and, as he recalls, "a smart kid."
Petraeus entered West Point after graduation, married the superintendant’s daughter, and went on to have a remarkable miltary career.
The family home on Avenue A was sold a couple of years ago and Petraeus’ father, who remained an active skier into his 80s, moved to California to live with his daughter.
If you have recollections of David Petraeus, post a comment below.
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