Donald H. Rumsfeld, 1932-2021

摘要

Donald H. Rumsfeld, who made history as the first man to serve as Secretary of Defense for two Presidents and oversaw the beginning of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, died June 30 in Taos, N.M. He was 88.Rumsfeld served as a congressman from Illinois' 13th District, director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and White House Chief of Staff, in addition to two stints as Defense Secretary. He was a Cabinet-level aide of President Richard M. Nixon before becoming the youngest Defense Secretary ever under President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. He then returned to the Pentagon as the second-oldest person ever to lead it, in 2001, under President George W. Bush."I was saddened to hear today of the passing of former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld," current Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin Ⅲ said in a written statement issued by the Pentagon. "Mr. Rumsfeld had the singular distinction of holding that post for two nonconsecutive tenures, serving as both the 13th Secretary of Defense and the 21st. He also served in the U.S. Navy in 1954-57 as a pilot and a flight instructor, and he continued his service as a Reservist until 1975, when he became Secretary of Defense for the first time."Over the decades of his remarkable career, from Congress to the White House to the Pentagon, Secretary Rumsfeld was propelled by his boundless energy, probing intellect, and abiding commitment to serve his country."Rumsfeld's second tenure in the Pentagon coincided with one of the most consequential periods in modern American history. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Rumsfeld oversaw the planning and execution of wars in the Middle East that wound up two decades. More than 6,000 American troops have died in the region since, and estimates have pegged the financial cost in the trillions of dollars.