WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry Shelton handed over his job to Air Force Gen. Richard Myers on Monday in a formal ceremony honoring Shelton and his wife at Ft. Myers Army camp in northern Virginia.
Myers was sworn in on Monday morning at the Pentagon.
With Ft. Myers still on high alert following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, just outside its gates, Shelton received a Distinguished Service Medal for four years to the day as Joint Chiefs chairman, the highest officer of the military. He was the 14th chairman.
Shelton, a special forces soldier, served in the Army for 38 years, including two tours in Vietnam and seven months in Saudi Arabia leading the 101st Airborne during the Persian Gulf War. He also commanded the forces that went to Haiti in Operation Uphold Democracy, and then took the helm of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Shelton thanked former President Bill Clinton in his farewell address for selecting him for the job, and President Bush for the "complete trust and confidence he has shown in me."
Last week Shelton told reporters that leaving his command now -- before the military has responded to the attacks on the Pentagon and New York -- left him feeling sidelined.
"I guess the analogy that I would use is I feel like the quarterback of a football team that went out on the field, and he's behind by one touchdown, but he knows his team's going to come through and win. But you're in the first quarter and all of a sudden the coach sends a player out to tell you your eligibility just expired," he said Sept. 27.
"And, you know, I'd probably break down in tears, except that as I look over at the bench, I see an all-American quarterback that's suiting up getting ready to come in, and his name is Dick Myers. And he, along with the team, will go on to victory. So I feel very good about that."
Myers, formerly vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is a command pilot with over 4,000 hours logged in the cockpit. Prior to becoming vice chairman, Myers was commander-in-chief of North American Aerospace Command and U.S. Space Command.
