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A Hometown Hero
Former Commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan Gen. Dan K. McNeill, U.S. Army, briefs reporters in the Pentagon on his impressions of the current situation in the country on June 13, 2008. One of Warsaw’s own, a four-star general, has been a big part of the town’s Veterans Day celebrations over the years.
Retired General Dan McNeill was born and raised in Warsaw and lived only miles from all of the public schools he attended.
After high school, McNeill went on to
N.C. State University, where he earned a degree from the School of Forestry.
At that time, all young male students who were physically able were compelled to join the ROTC program. And so the general’s military career began.
“Te truth is that junior and senior year, they would pay you a small stipend,” he recalls. “It wasn’t a lot of money, I’m thinking maybe 50 bucks a month.” He added playfully, “But yeah, I could use that to buy beer and stuff for football games.”
Te requirement changed sometime
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during his sophomore year, but by that time, the Vietnam War was a reality. So, many of the students accepted the fact that they would probably be called to serve. McNeill says he only planned to serve his obligation to the country, but many people began to notice that he had a knack for military service and began to encourage him to make a career out of it.
“I can’t say that I was thinking in those days that I was going to serve four years,” he says. “I can’t even say that I thought I was going to serve for even 20 years. It just worked out that way.”
As it turned out, he served 40 years.
During his military career, he was in a number of combat environments, including deployments to Panama, Haiti, Iraq, and several trips to Afghanistan. He was commissioned into the military the summer of 1968 after his graduation, and retired in the summer of 2008, when he and his wife decided to move to Fayetteville.
McNeill is best known as the commander of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan from 2002-2003 and as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) from 2004-2007. He then served as the commander of the International Security Assistance Force from Feb. 1, 2007 through June 3, 2008. He also served as commander of the elite 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg.
Over the course of his career, McNeill says he never forgot his hometown. He always tried to come home to be a part of the Veterans Day Celebration in Warsaw. He’s served as a speaker, had his color guard be a part of the parade, or just marched in the parade as a local veteran. And yes, he will participate in this year’s celebration, representing U.S. Army retirees.
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