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Quick Facts
- NAME: David Petraeus
- OCCUPATION: General
- BIRTH DATE: November 07, 1952 (Age: 60)
- EDUCATION: Princeton University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York
- Full Name: David Howell Petraeus
- AKA: David Petraeus
- ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio
Best Known For
U.S. Army General David Petraeus became director of the CIA in 2011. He resigned from the post in 2012, after his extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell was publicized.
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Play NowDavid Howell Petraeus. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 11:33, May 24, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448.
David Howell Petraeus. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448 [Accessed 24 May 2013].
"David Howell Petraeus." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 24 2013, 11:33 http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448.
"David Howell Petraeus," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448 [accessed May 24, 2013].
"David Howell Petraeus," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448 (accessed May 24, 2013).
David Howell Petraeus [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 24] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448.
David Howell Petraeus, http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448 (last visited May 24, 2013).
David Howell Petraeus. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/david-petraeus-39448. Accessed May 24, 2013.
Synopsis
U.S. Army General David Petraeus was born in New York on November 7, 1952,
Quotes
"In a lot of ways, I think I climbed that particular academic mountain just because it was the toughest one to climb."
and was commissioned into the infantry as a second lieutenant after graduating from Military Academy at West Point in 1974. Petraeus served the military in a number of capacities before being appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007 to lead the American military "surge" in Iraq. He became director of the CIA under President Barack Obama in 2011, but resigned in late 2012 after his extramarital affair with writer Paula Broadwell was exposed.
Younger Years
U.S. General David Howell Petraeus was born on November 7, 1952, in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. His mother, Miriam, was a librarian, and his father, Sixtus, worked as a sea captain. Sixtus Petraeus, originally from the Netherlands, immigrated to the United States at the beginning of World War II. During the war, he steered merchant vessels back and forth across the dangerous waters of the embattled Atlantic. General Petraeus freely talks about his own steely determination and drive as being part of his heritage.
After graduating from high school in Cornwall, Petraeus headed straight for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It was here that the young man's drive for success started emerging fully. Petraeus was part of an elite group of students known as "Star Men," as well as a member of several collegiate athletic teams. Most notably, he won a spot in the Academy's pre-medical academic track, to which only 10 out of almost 1000 students were accepted. Later in life, he admitted that he had not had a particular interest in medicine, but that, "In a lot of ways, I think I climbed that particular academic mountain just because it was the toughest one to climb."
Early Career
After graduating from West Point in 1974, Petraeus joined the infantry as a distinguished cadet. Soon after graduation, he completed a grueling nine weeks at Ranger School, not only finishing the course, but also winning top honors and legendary status among his classmates. Steadily ascending the ranks, Petraeus worked in many different capacities and for several different units within the Army.
In the 1980s, Petraeus, then ranked captain, devoted much of his time to education. He spent a year at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, attending the Command and General Staff College. There, he won the school's General George C. Marshall Award for top graduate. He spent the next two years at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, earning a master's degree and then a doctorate degree in international relations. After a few years in New Jersey, Petraeus returned to West Point, serving as a professor of international relations.
In 1987, Petraeus left academia to return to military service, and soon began climbing the military ladder once again. In 1991, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of a regiment within the 101st Airborne Division. During this assignment, he was wounded during a training exercise when an infantryman tripped and discharged his M-16 by mistake.
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