Zinni, Anthony C. 1943- (Anthony Charles Zinni)

PERSONAL:

Born September 17, 1943, in Conshohocken, PA; son of Antonio (a chauffeur) and Lilla (a homemaker and seamstress) Zinni; married Dale Elaine Bathke, November 19, 1966; children: Lisa, Maria, Anthony. Education: Villanova University, B.S., 1965; Central Michigan University, M.S., 1984.

CAREER:

Enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, 1961; commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant, 1965; served two tours of duty in Vietnam, 1966-70; rose through the military ranks to become a four-star general; served as commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, 1997-2000; named U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, 2001. Academic positions include: Virginia Military Institute, Stanley Chair in Ethics; University of California, Berkeley, Nimitz Chair; Joint Forces Staff College, Hofheimer Chair; College of William and Mary, Harriman Professor of Government and member of the board of the Reves Center for International Studies. Member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and Council on Foreign Relations. Member and advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Military awards include: Combat Action Ribbon; Bronze Star with Combat "V" and gold star; Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Purple Heart. Civilian awards include: Distinguished Sea Service Award, Naval Order of the United States; Papal Gold Cross of Honor; Abraham Lincoln Award, Union League; Eisenhower Distinguished Service Award, Veterans of Foreign Wards; Chapman Award, Marine Corps University Foundation; Pen Club award; St. Thomas of Villanova Alumni Medal; George P. Schultz Award for public service, U.S. Department of State; Grant Patriot Award, UNICO National.

WRITINGS:

(With Tom Clancy and Tony Koltz) Battle Ready, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Tony Koltz) The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose, Palgrave Macmillan (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to books by others, including Capital "W" War: A Case for Strategic Principles of War: (Because Wars Are Conflicts of Societies, Not Tactical Exercises Writ Large), by Joe Strange, Marine Corps University (Quantico, VA), 1998; and Perspectives on Humanitarian Military Intervention, by George R. Lucas, Jr., Berkeley Public Policy Press (Berkeley, CA), 2001.

ADAPTATIONS:

Battle Ready has been adapted for audio, Simon & Schuster Audio, 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Anthony C. Zinni served as commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command from 1997 to 2000, following a notable career as an active-duty U.S. Marine that included combat during the Vietnam conflict. He describes his career in Battle Ready, one of a series of books written by Tom Clancy about military commanders. The narration by Zinni, Clancy, and Tony Koltz provides an insight into Zinni's childhood and career. During the 1990s Zinni was involved in the search for "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) in Iraq. Speaking before Congress in 2000, Zinni stated: "Iraq remains the most significant near-term threat to U.S. interests in the Arabian Gulf region. This is primarily due to its large conventional military force, pursuit of WMD, oppressive treatment of Iraqi citizens, refusal to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR), persistent threats to enforcement of the No Fly Zones (NFZ), and continued efforts to violate UN Security Council sanctions through oil smuggling."

In The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose, written with Tony Koltz, Zinni updates his positions on what he considers failed United States foreign policy and suggests that it has not kept up with changing conditions since the Cold War. He favors stronger relationships with nongovernmental organizations, like Doctors without Borders and the Red Cross, as well as an increase in regional coalitions. Library Journal contributor Michael C. Miller commented that Zinni "provides a clear analysis and plan for the future of America."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Newsmakers, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 2003. Zinni, Anthony C., Tom Clancy, and Tony Koltz, Battle Ready, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, March 1, 2006, Michael C. Miller, review of The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose, p. 106.

New York Times Book Review, July 11, 2004, Philip Caputo, review of Battle Ready.

Publishers Weekly, May 10, 2004, review of Battle Ready, p. 49.

ONLINE

University of California, Berkeley, Institute of International Studies,http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/ (June 8, 2006), "General Anthony Zinni Interview: Conversations with History."