Ricardo Sanchez Ricardo Sanchez ( born September 9 , 1953 ) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and was a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison . Early life and education . Sanchez was born into a poor Mexican American family in Rio Grande City , Texas . During the Vietnam War ( 1969 – 73 ) , Sanchez was in college . He spent one year at the University of Texas at Austin on an ROTC scholarship , eventually transferring to Texas A & I University in Kingsville , Texas , where he graduated in 1973 with a double major in mathematics and history . Sanchez was named a Distinguished Military Graduate ( DMG ) , meaning he was in the top 20 % of all ROTC cadets in the nation . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army . Army career . Sanchez became a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division , stationed at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . By 1977 , he had transferred from the infantry to armor . He received promotions regularly and was stationed at posts in the United States , Korea , Panama and Germany . In 1991 , then Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez served as a battalion commander during Operation Desert Storm , successfully leading his unit of the 197th Infantry Brigade ( Mechanized ) to Basra without suffering any casualties . Shortly after the Gulf War , Sanchez was promoted to Colonel and given command of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division . Afterwards , he served on the staff of U . S . Southern Command , first as deputy chief of staff then as director of operations . On July 10 , 2001 , by now a general , Sanchez became commander 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 this date he also became commander of Combined Joint Task Force 7 , the coalition ground forces in the U . S . - led occupation of Iraq . Much of Sanchez ' s time commanding 1st Armored Division had been as a brigadier general . Commander of Coalition Ground Forces in Iraq . June 2003 to June 2004 . Sanchez held the top military position in Iraq during what was arguably one of the most critical periods of the war — the year after the fall of the Hussein regime , and the time the insurgency took root and began its counterattack . Highlights during his tenure as commander in Iraq include the killing of Uday and Qusay Hussein , and the capture of Saddam Hussein . He was in command when the abuse of prisoners occurred most notably at Abu Ghraib prison . Some have been highly critical of the U . S . military ' s failure to hold senior officers accountable , as blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers was placed only on a few individuals of the lowest rank . Sanchez was succeeded as commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq by a four - star general : former Army Vice Chief of Staff George Casey . This changeover was part of a larger split in responsibilities as Sanchez ' s former command , Combined Joint Task Force 7 under a three - star general , was superseded by Multi - National Force Iraq under a four - star general . Disunity in leadership . L . Paul Bremer was the leader of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq . There was almost a complete failure to communicate between Bremer , the top civilian , and Sanchez , the military leader . According to journalist Thomas Ricks : " It was very clear they hated each other . They lived in the same palace and didn ' t talk to each other . " This disunity in leadership has been cited as one of the major failures of the first year of the Iraq War . Abu Ghraib . Sanchez was commander of coalition forces during a period when abuse of prisoners occurred at Abu Ghraib and at other locations . In a memo signed by General Sanchez and later acquired by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act request , techniques were authorized to interrogate prisoners , included " environmental manipulation " such as making a room hot or cold or using an " unpleasant smell " , isolating a prisoner , disrupting normal sleep patterns and " convincing the detainee that individuals from a country other than the United States are interrogating him . " On May 5 , 2006 , Sanchez denied ever authorizing interrogators to " go to the outer limits " . Sanchez said he had told interrogators : " . . . we should be conducting our interrogations to the limits of our authority . " Sanchez called the ACLU : " . . . a bunch of sensationalist liars , I mean lawyers , that will distort any and all information that they get to draw attention to their positions . " Career after Iraq . In June 2004 , Lieutenant General Sanchez relinquished command of the Multi - National Force Iraq ( MNF - I ) to General George Casey , Vice Chief of Staff of the Army . Sanchez returned to Germany where he continued as Commanding General , V Corps . He was briefly considered for promotion to four - star rank with assignment as Commander , Southern Command ; nomination would have required Senate confirmation , which would have been contentious due to the Abu Ghraib scandal . He was not nominated ; the position went to General Bantz Craddock . On September 6 , 2006 , Sanchez relinquished command of V Corps in a ceremony at Campbell Barracks , Heidelberg , Germany . Sanchez had commanded the corps for more than 3 years ; longer than any previous commander in the unit ' s history . In deference to Sanchez ' longevity , he relinquished command to General David McKiernan , Commanding General , US Army Europe and Seventh Army , his higher commander , instead of to a successor . Sanchez retired on November 1 , 2006 , culminating 33 years of Army service . Sanchez now lives in his home state of Texas . Author . On May 6 , 2008 HarperCollins Publishers released " Wiser in Battle : A Soldier ' s Story " , a memoir by General Sanchez and Donald T . Phillips . On May 7 , 2008 General Sanchez was interviewed by Fresh Air host Terry Gross on NPR where he discussed the Iraq war , his life and book . 2012 Senate campaign . Having previously entered the race , Ricardo Sanchez announced on December 16 , 2011 that he would not run as a candidate in the Democratic Party primary for Texas ' open U . S . Senate seat in 2012 . In a statement to his followers Sanchez stated : “ I am very grateful for the strong support and encouragement I have received from supporters across the country and the wonderful Texans I have met in every part of our great state . However , pressing personal challenges , coupled with the recent loss of our home due to fire and lagging fundraising numbers make a statewide election campaign impractical for me at this time . “ After extensive consultation with my family , Maria Elena and I have decided to put family first and I will therefore end my campaign for the 2012 U . S . Senate seat as of today . “ I am blessed to have made friends with so many great Texans on this journey . Their personal stories and their love for our homeland will continue to inspire me as I look ahead and consider future opportunities for public service . I remain steadfast in the desire to serve both my country and the State of Texas to help bring new , responsible , and fair - minded leadership to our government . May God Bless Texas and May God Bless America . ” Criticism of the media and political leadership . Speaking to a group of military reporters and editors in Washington DC on October 12 , 2007 , Sanchez lambasted the media for " sensationalist " coverage and " self - aggrandizement " and expressing the belief that reporters were willing to " compromise [ their ] integrity " and " display questionable ethics " to get front page stories : Sanchez went on to criticize the partisanship that has characterized America ' s political leadership on Iraq : Sanchez has become the most senior retired general to criticize American political leadership of the war .