General Wesley Clark

    General Clark brings a wealth of experience and skill to the podium on topics ranging from world events to corporate investment strategies. His strategic and political insights are a great addition to the Spring Kickoff for the 2008 Mock Presidential Convention.

    After graduating first in his class from West Point and receiving the prestigious Rhodes scholarship, General Clark served for 34 years in the military. He held key com­mand and staff positions around the world including command of the 1st Calvary Division, the largest division in the US Army. From 1994-1996, he worked for the J-5 Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Director of Strategic Plans and Policy, where he helped negoti­ate the agreement that ended the war in Bosnia. Clark then headed all US military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean when he served as the Commander in Chief of the US Southern Com­mand. His next assignment was to command simultaneously US military forces in Europe and all of NATO, during which he led Operation Allied Force and stopped the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. A distinguished officer, his honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the State Department Distinguished Service Award, the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and Honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments.

    Since retirement in 2000, Clark has been an author, businessman, commentator, and Presidential candidate. As the author of the best-selling book Waging Mod­ern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat and Winning Modern War: Iraq, Terrorism and the American Empire, Clark gave readers a better appreciation of the threats and challenges for the United States in the post-Cold War era. General Clark brings to Washington and Lee Univer­sity a view of leadership forged by honor, dedication, service, and action.