Odierno had spoken at the funeral of the president's son Beau Biden in 2015 and awarded him the Legion of Merit he was the commanding general when Beau Biden served in Iraq. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden called Odierno a 'hero' in a statement released by the White House. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,' the Army said. 'His love, respect and commitment to Soldiers & their families is his legacy. In 2015, Odierno retired from the military after more than 37 years of service.ДЇollowing news of his death, the Army shared its condolences in a message on Twitter. We can't simply legislate our way out of this.' 'We must take a hard look at that system,' he told lawmakers in 2013. But he was firm in his stance that the process should remain within the military command structure, and resisted efforts in Congress to take sexual assault cases out of the chain of command. Odierno was adamant about addressing the issue. World General Who Backed Surge Picked For Top Iraq JobДuring his time in the position, the military was under growing scrutiny for the alarming increase in military sexual assaults. 'I believe he'll be the architect - the guy with the plan who turned this place around.' 'This tour will, in my view, eradicate anything that was before, or at least give people second thoughts about what kind of guy he really is,' Anderson said. Joseph Anderson, who was Odierno's chief of staff, told the Los Angeles Times in 2008. The criticism didn't stop Odierno from establishing a legacy in the Iraq War as 'the guy with the plan,' Brig. He'd have his troops go through women's underwear in the house looking for arms.' 'He didn't understand what it means to win hearts and minds. 'Odierno just didn't get it,' Juan Cole, a professor of Middle Eastern history at the University of Michigan, told NPR in 2008 of Odierno's strategy in the early years of the war. Those operations were blamed for alienating the local population in the Sunni Triangle region and fueling the very insurgency the U.S. It was a decision met with some criticism, stemming from Odierno's previous command earlier in the war of forces that were seen as overly aggressive and indiscriminate in detaining military-age Iraqi men. In 2008, the New Jersey native was tapped to succeed General David Petraeus as the top commander of the multinational force fighting in Iraq. The Petraeus Report Impact of 'Surge' Debated in Baghdad

At first, the rush of forces seemed to work, but nearly 15 years later, questions about the strategy's true effectiveness continue to cloud the war's legacy. forces in Iraq launched in 2007 to help quell a deadly insurgency and deep-seated sectarian violence. When it came time for a shift in strategy, Odierno would emerge as a key figure behind the surge of some 20,000 U.S. mission in Iraq soon spiraled out of control. 'He was caught like a rat.'Дespite that early success, the U.S. 'He was in the bottom of a hole with no way to fight back,' Odierno said at the time. He began the war in command of the 4th Infantry Division, helping to orchestrate the 2003 operation that resulted in the capture of the country's ousted leader, Saddam Hussein. Odierno, a West Point graduate, served in the military for nearly 40 years, a decorated career that included three tours of duty in Iraq. 'The general died after a brave battle with cancer his death was not related to COVID,' the family said. Odierno's death Friday was announced in a statement by his family, according to The Associated Press. troops through the Iraq War and later served as the Army's chief of staff, has died of cancer at the age of 67. Ray Odierno, the retired Army general who led U.S. Odierno, who was the Army's 38th Chief of Staff, died on Friday, his family said. Ray Odierno salutes during his retirement ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson, Augin Arlington, Va.

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