FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan.-The Command and General Staff College will induct two
international military leaders into its International Hall of Fame on Oct. 4
at 9 a.m. at the Lewis and Clark Center on Fort Leavenworth. The induction
brings to 280 the number of leaders who have been honored in the Hall of
Fame from the more than 8,000 international officers who have graduated from
the college. Officers honored are Maj. Gen. Saleh al Ameri, Commander,
United Arab Emirates Land Forces, and Lt. Gen. Leonids Kalnins, Chief of
Defense, Latvian National Armed Forces.
Saleh will be the first International Hall of Fame member from Command and
General Staff Officers Class 2006-2. He is also the first from that class
known to have been promoted to general officer rank and the first UAE
officer inducted into the International Hall of Fame. There were 26
international students in his class. He was appointed to his current
position in 2016.
Kalnins was appointed Chief of the Defense Staff, Latvian National Armed
Forces in January 2017. He graduated from CGSC in 2011. Of the 69
international officers in that class, Kalnins is the first known to have
attained general officer rank and the first to be inducted in the
International Hall of Fame.
The addition of the UAE and Latvia brings the number of countries
represented in the International Hall of Fame to 75. The CGSC International
Hall of Fame was established by the college, the Greater Kansas City Chapter
of the Military Order of the World Wars and the CGSC Foundation in 1973. To
be nominated for the International Hall of Fame an officer must be a
graduate of CGSC and have attained, by merit, the position of leader of his
or her country's army or defense forces. In addition to being inducted into
the Hall of Fame, inductees are presented a CGSC certificate of honor by the
Military Order of the World Wars and a Life Constituent Certificate by the
Foundation. Fifteen International Hall of Fame members have gone on to be
heads of state or heads of government in their countries.
International military student participation in cooperative military studies
in the United States originated at Fort Leavenworth with the arrival of
Swiss Lieutenant Henri Le Comte in 1894. Since then, international students,
representing 165 countries, have become an integral part of the Fort
Leavenworth experience. These talented military officers contribute to a
rich professional and cultural exchange environment.
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