| Executives present Eisenhower Award to Petraeus |
By Business Executives for National SecurityBusiness Executives for National Security (BENS) - America's premier
organization of business leaders working to strengthen the nation's
security - honored four-star Army Gen. David Petraeus with the
Eisenhower Award aboard the historic WWII aircraft carrier Intrepid in
New York City on Nov. 19. Sidney Harman, Chairman Emeritus of Harman
International Industries, was the Master of Ceremonies for the black-tie
gala.
As the newly appointed commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Petraeus
has responsibility for all U.S. forces in northeast Africa, Central Asia
and the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to taking
his current position, Gen. Petraeus served as Commander Multi-National
Forces-Iraq (MNFI), where he oversaw all Coalition troops from February
2007 to September 2008 and gained renown for leading the stabilization
of Iraq during successful surge operations. Prior to his tour as MNF-I
Commander, he commanded the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort
Leavenworth. In 2003, Gen. Petraeus led the 101st Airborne Division in
the initial phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He returned to Iraq in
2004 as the first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition
Command.
"Gen. Petraeus is unquestionably a national treasure, which he most
recently demonstrated by spearheading the remarkable improvement of
security in Iraq," said BENS President and CEO Gen. Chuck Boyd, USAF,
(Ret.). "A consummate warrior and scholar, Gen. Petraeus is the perfect
choice to command our troops on two war fronts and the perfect choice
for the Eisenhower Award."
Petraeus is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy, and
was the General George C. Marshall Award winner as the top graduate of
the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Class of 1983. He
earned a master's in public administration (1985) and a doctorate (1987)
in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and
International Affairs at Princeton University.
The BENS Eisenhower Award honors the contributions of public servants
and private citizens who safeguard our freedom as well as the balance
"between the actions of the moment and the national welfare of the
future" that President Eisenhower described in his farewell address.
Past recipients of the Eisenhower Award include former President Jimmy
Carter; former Vice President Al Gore; Secretaries of Defense William
Cohen, Robert Gates, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld; Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice; Senators Richard Lugar, John McCain and Sam
Nunn; Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin; as well as business leaders Fred
Smith, Josh Weston and Thomas J. Watson.
BENS is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization that, for over
a quarter century, has harnessed successful business models from the
private sector to help strengthen the nation's security.
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