General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan.  Following retirement from the military and a unanimous confirmation vote in the Senate, he served as Director of the CIA. 

General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the West Point, and, get this, he is the only person in Army history to be the top graduate of both the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. He also earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. 

General Petraeus was named one of America’s 25 Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report, a runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, the Daily Telegraph man of the year, a Time 100 selectee, Princeton University’s Madison Medalist, and one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 public intellectuals in three different years.

General Petraeus hasn’t slowed down in retirement.  He now serves as a Partner and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute.  He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and FirstStream, a venture investor in more than 15 startups, and engaged in a variety of academic endeavors.

On this episode, General Petraeus was very kind to let me explore what life was like for him growing up and how his parents shaped him.  We also discuss how he met his wife, what it’s like to be a grandparent, his time at West Point, Ranger School, his impressions of President Bush, President Obama, and President-elect Biden, the role of mentors in his life, and much more.

For show notes, visit https://www.calwalters.me/