Miami University

Gen. Joseph Ralston, NATO commander, to speak Oct. 25

U.S. Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, commander in chief, U.S. European Command and supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe, will present the Hammond Lecture on the American Tradition at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Hall Auditorium.

Prior to his current position, Ralston (Miami ’65) was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer. In recommending Ralston for his position, former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen described him as a man of "fortitude, unconquerable resolve and piercing intelligence."

Ralston is head of 100,000 U.S. forces in Europe, including Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps troops. He is the senior U.S. military officer and commander of a unified combatant command with an area of responsibility that includes 89 nations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Ralston joined the Air Force through Miami’s Reserve Officer Training Corps. He went on to log more than 2,500 flying hours, including 147 combat missions over Vietnam and Laos.

Throughout his career he has held influential staff and management positions at every level of the Air Force, including commander of Alaskan Command and of Air Combat Command.

The W.A. Hammond Lecture Series on the American Tradition was established by William A. Hammond (Miami ’14) to promote the qualities upon which the nation was founded.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Date Published: 10/11/2001
Volume: 21   Number: 11