Decorated Officer, Military Historian to Discuss War in Iraq
Peter Mansoor
DELAWARE, OHIO – Military historian and retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor of The Ohio State University’s Mershon Center will discuss “The Iraq War: Opportunities Lost, Lessons Learned, and the Way Ahead” at 4 p.m. April 10 in Room 312 of the R.W. Corns Building, 78 S. Sandusky St.
Mansoor is a highly decorated officer with more than 26 years of military service. Before joining Ohio State, he served as executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus, former commander of the multinational forces in Iraq. Mansoor also served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East during his military career. He commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division from 2003 to 2005, which included 13 months of counterinsurgency duty in Iraq.
After relinquishing command, Mansoor resided at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York as a senior military fellow and served as the founding director of the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. In 2006, he served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff “Council of Colonels” that re-examined the strategy for the Iraq War. Based in part the council’s deliberations, the United States began its “surge” strategy in 2007-2008.
Mansoor’s most recent book, “Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander’s War in Iraq,” earned the Ohioana Library Association Book Award. He also is the author of “The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941-45,” which earned awards from the Society for Military History and the Army Historical Foundation.
Mansoor is a frequent media guest, with recent TV and radio appearances including CNN, CBC, Al Jazeera English, NPR, and “60 Minutes.” Print interviews have included The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Associated Press.
Mansoor earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; his Master of Arts and his doctoral degree in military history from Ohio State, and his Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College.
His April 10 presentation is sponsored by the OWU International Studies Program.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.