John J . Sheehan General John J . " Jack " Sheehan ( born 1940 ) is a retired United States Marine Corps general . His final active duty commands , culminating 35 years of service in the Marine Corps , were as the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic ( SACLANT ) for NATO and as Commander - in - Chief for the U . S . Atlantic Command ( CINCUSACOM ) ( 1994 – 1997 ) . Life and career . General Sheehan was born on August 23 , 1940 , in Somerville , Massachusetts . The son of Irish immigrants , he is one of seven children . He graduated with a B . A . degree in English from Boston College in June 1962 . After graduation , he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U . S . Marine Corps . He holds an M . S . degree from Georgetown University in Government . His professional military education includes the Amphibious Warfare School , Naval Command and Staff College , and National War College . He served in various command positions ranging from company commander to brigade commander in both the Atlantic and Pacific theater of operations . General Sheehan ’ s combat tours include duty in Vietnam and Desert Shield / Desert Storm . His staff positions included duties as regiment al , division , and service headquarters staff officer as well as joint duty with the United States Army , the Office of the Secretary of Defense , and the U . S . Atlantic Command . Prior to assuming his final duties as Supreme Allied Commander , Atlantic and Commander in Chief , U . S . Atlantic Command on October 31 , 1994 , General Sheehan served as Director for Operations , J - 3 , Joint Staff , Washington , D . C . General Sheehan retired from the Marine Corps on September 24 , 1997 . In 1998 , Sheehan joined Bechtel International as a senior vice president . Controversy . In March 2010 he testified to the US Congress that according to the chief of staff of the Dutch Army at the time of the incident , the fall of Srebrenica was caused by lack of readiness related to the Dutch being more concerned with internal ' socialisation ' of the military than fighting capacity . Sheehan stated it was in part due to homosexual men serving in the military . During the same testimony , Sheehan stated that gays weakened the army , while attraction between men and women in gender - integrated units would not . Speculation has it that Sheehan meant General Henk van den Breemen , Dutch chief of staff at the time of the Srebrenica genocide . General van den Breemen denied having said such a thing and called Sheehan ' s comments " total nonsense " . Dutch Minister of Defense Eimert van Middelkoop stated that Sheehan ' s statement was " disgraceful , " " unworthy of anyone in the military " . Prime - Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands stated that Sheehan ' s words are " shameful " , " outrageous " , " beneath contempt " and " disrespectful towards all troops involved " . Dutch advocates of gay rights , organized in the " " Pink Army " " ( foundation ) and the Stichting Homosexualiteit en Krijgsmacht ( " Foundation Homosexuality and Armed Forces " ) , announced a libel lawsuit against Sheehan , demanding public apologies , and Sheehan following sensitivity training . The majority of the Dutch parliament voiced their support for the class action . On March 29 , 2010 , Dutch media reported that Sheehan had sent an e - mail to his Dutch colleague General Henk van den Breemen in which he apologized for his comments . He stated that his memory of the conversation was inaccurate . Decorations . His decorations and medals include :