Peter W. Chiarelli

Peter W. Chiarelli (born March 23, 1950) is a retired United States Army general who served as the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from August 4, 2008 to January 31, 2012. He also served as commander, Multi-National Corps—Iraq under General George W. Casey, Jr.. He was the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from March 2007 to August 2008. He retired from the U.S. Army on January 31, 2012 after nearly 40 years of service, and was succeeded as Vice Chief of Staff by Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III.

Early life and education
Chiarelli was born in Seattle, Washington on March 23, 1950. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of Seattle University Army ROTC. Chiarelli was commissioned a second lieutenant in September 1972. Throughout his career, he has served in Army units in the United States, Germany, and Belgium. He has commanded at every level from platoon to corps.

Career
Chiarelli's principal staff assignments have been as the operations officer, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas; Executive Assistant and, later, Executive Officer to the Supreme Allied Commander, Commander United States European Command at SHAPE Headquarters, Mons, Belgium; and the Director of Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization at Headquarters, Department of the Army.

He commanded a mechanized infantry battalion and a mechanized infantry brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington; served as the assistant division commander for support in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas; served as commanding general, 1st Cavalry Division, and led it both in the Iraq War and during Operation Iraqi Freedom II; and served as commanding general of Multi-National Corps—Iraq.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Seattle University, a Master of Public Administration degree from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and a Master of Arts degree in national security strategy from Salve Regina University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Command and Staff College and the National War College.

Chiarelli has worked to reduce suicide rates in the Army. Out of concerns for stigma, he began using the term posttraumatic stress, dropping the word "disorder" from the medical name posttraumatic stress disorder. His term had subsequently become standard use in the armed forces, but was not taken up by the medical community. The name "posttraumatic stress injury" has been proposed by some psychiatrists in 2012, and is endorsed by Chiarelli.