Petraeus, David

General David Howell Petraeus was born on November 7, 1952, in Cornwall on Hudson, New York. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974 as a distinguished graduate, finishing in the top 5% of his class. Petraeus received the George C. Marshall Award for graduating first in his class at Command and General Staff College in 1983. He earned a master’s degree (1985) and a PhD in international relations (1987) from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. After early assignments in mechanized units, Petraeus principally served in light infantry units. He commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division (1991–1993), served as chief of operations of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (1995), and commanded ...