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Famous Veteran Ricardo Sanchez

Entered Service: 1973

Lieutenant General (LTG) Ricardo S. Sanchez is a native of Rio Grande City, Texas. As a Distinguished Military Graduate of Texas A&I University, Kingsville, Texas, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of armor in the Regular Army in 1973.

In 1991, then Colonel Sanchez served as a battalion commander during Operation Desert Storm, successfully leading his battalion to Basra. Shortly after the Gulf War, Sanchez was promoted to Brigadier General and served as in various duties throughout the Army.

On July 10, 2001, he became commanding general of V Corps' 1st Armored Division. He held that position for nearly two years before assuming command of the entire corps on June 14, 2003. On that date, he became commander of coalition ground forces in the U.S. led occupation of Iraq. During his command, he oversaw the firefight with Uday and Qusay Hussein and the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein. From June 2003 to June 2004, he led the restoration and reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure and security forces, allowing the interim Iraqi government time to organize and take control of their country on June 28, 2004.