Retired U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki has been elected to the board of directors of First Hawaiian Bank.  He previously served on the bank’s board from 2006 to 2008.

“We are proud to welcome General Shinseki back to our ohana,” Bob Harrison, First Hawaiian Bank chairman, president and chief executive officer, said Tuesday. “He is a man of great integrity and character who has dedicated his entire career to serving our nation.

The Kauai-born Shinseki is the first person of Asian ancestry to lead one of the American military service branches.  He retired from the U.S. Army in August 2003 after a 38-year military career capped by four years (1999-2003) as chief of staff, the top uniformed position in the Army.  In 2008, President Barack Obama nominated him to be the seventh U.S. secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs where he served for more than five years. 

Shinseki graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a master’s degree in English literature from Duke University.  He has received numerous honors and decorations for his leadership and courage including the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

First Hawaiian Bank, with $18.1 billion in assets, was founded in 1858 and is Hawaii’s oldest and largest bank.  It has 57 branches in Hawaii, three on Guam and two on Saipan.