Leaving to nurse wife through serious health issues
President Obama is accepting General John Allen's request to retire. Allen has led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan for the past 19 months. A White House statement says Allen is retiring to "address health issues within his family." In the statement, President Obama praises Allen's "extraordinary service" in the Marine Corps.
General Allen has also withdrawn his nomination to be the top NATO commander in Europe. Allen was recently cleared of any wrongdoing in a personal conduct investigation involving emails. The probe was loosely linked to the investigation of former CIA Director David Petraeus, who resigned last year in a sex scandal.
