McChrystal tells Army he will resign

 Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Commander of the  International Security Assistance Force and Commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, testifies  before the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009.

— Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last week as the top U.S. general in the stalemated Afghanistan war, told the Army on Monday that he will retire.

Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said McChrystal, 55, notified the service of his plans, but he has not yet submitted formal retirement papers. It is not clear when he will leave the service, but the process usually take a few months.

In announcing McChrystal’s ouster on Wednesday, President Barack Obama praised his long Army career but said his intemperate remarks in a magazine article that appeared last week could not be abided.

McChrystal apologized for the remarks in Rolling Stone magazine and flew to Washington last week to resign as commanding general of the war.

The Army has been McChrystal’s only career.

McChrystal was promoted to the selective and coveted rank of four-star general last year. It is not clear whether McChrystal will be able to retain that rank in retirement. Under Army rules, generals need to serve three years as a four-star officer to retain that rank, with its prestige and retirement benefits.

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