.U.S. Gen. Petraeus Treated For Prostate Cancer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gen. David Petraeus, who as head of U.S. Central Command oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, joked about his health on Tuesday as his office revealed his successful treatment for prostate cancer.
Petraeus, 56, was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in February and had two months of radiation treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, his office said in a statement.
The treatment was "assessed to have been successful," it said, and had only a "minimal impact" on Petraeus' work schedule in a year that has included overseeing a drawdown in Iraq and a buildup of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to combat a resurgent Taliban.
Petraeus, a media-friendly soldier hailed for helping to pull Iraq back from the brink of all-out civil war, joked at a Washington event that reporters were only gathered there "to see if the guy is still alive."
"I want to assure you that I am," Petraeus said, to laughs.
His office said that although President Barack Obama and other key officials were informed of his diagnosis, Petraeus had chosen to keep the information private because "he and his family regarded his situation as a personal matter and because it did not interfere with the performance of his duties."
Petraeus, who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University, is one of the key voices that Obama is listening to as he reviews war strategy in Afghanistan in the face of rising casualties and fading public support for the eight-year-old campaign.
Petraeus has given his backing to a leaked assessment by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, that called for a significant change in strategy that would involve more troops.
But he has not publicly endorsed an increase in forces there beyond the 68,000 due to be deployed by the end of the year.
NYT
Petraeus, 56, was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in February and had two months of radiation treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, his office said in a statement.
The treatment was "assessed to have been successful," it said, and had only a "minimal impact" on Petraeus' work schedule in a year that has included overseeing a drawdown in Iraq and a buildup of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to combat a resurgent Taliban.
Petraeus, a media-friendly soldier hailed for helping to pull Iraq back from the brink of all-out civil war, joked at a Washington event that reporters were only gathered there "to see if the guy is still alive."
"I want to assure you that I am," Petraeus said, to laughs.
His office said that although President Barack Obama and other key officials were informed of his diagnosis, Petraeus had chosen to keep the information private because "he and his family regarded his situation as a personal matter and because it did not interfere with the performance of his duties."
Petraeus, who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University, is one of the key voices that Obama is listening to as he reviews war strategy in Afghanistan in the face of rising casualties and fading public support for the eight-year-old campaign.
Petraeus has given his backing to a leaked assessment by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, that called for a significant change in strategy that would involve more troops.
But he has not publicly endorsed an increase in forces there beyond the 68,000 due to be deployed by the end of the year.
NYT
posted by madtom at 9:48 PM
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